Madness of the Revolution
by Kristy-chan
Summary: In the midst of the Bakumatsu Kenshin learns to deal with the job given to him, with only one friend who understands him. Will this boy be able to help Kenshin get through the darkness, or will he go mad along with the boy he so desperately wants to help?
1. A New Recruit

Disclaimer: I don't own RK and I will also be using some quotes from the Manga, and i don't own that either.

(Revised)

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Recruit 

I was a small boy, barely the age of 14, yet physically resembling a boy of 11 or 12. I had shoulder length red hair, tied up into a high ponytail. As I stepped out onto the dirt covered field, my eyes widened slightly at the sight of so many samurai clad men practicing on tall wooden posts clearly taller than me. They were all older then me, obviously bigger, and probably a lot more experienced. Not to mention that they've probably killed before…

I pushed that train of thought to the back of my mind and willed myself forward, towards a wooden post on the edge of the field where there weren't so many men around. As I walked through the field, many of the men who saw me began to laugh and whisper about me. It was nothing new to me. Shishou's taunts and barbs were ten times harsher and more hurtful than what these men were saying. Constantly being called a "Baka Deshi," and "Scrawny Runt," among other things has taught me to pay no mind to what others think of me. Maybe that's why he was constantly ridiculing me; to prepare me. I felt a dull ache entering my heart at the thought of Shishou.

I guess he really was looking out for me in his own way. Maybe he did care…

I let my eyes wander, keeping an impassive and almost bored look on my face, and up on the hill overlooking the field, spotted Takasugi Shinsaku, the man that gave me entry onto the field , along with another man beside him. The man beside him was young, with long black hair tied onto a high ponytail. He had the formal daisho on his waist and seemed to be talking to Takasugi while scanning the field with focused eyes. He must be the man that Takasugi-san was talking about. He told me that Katsura Kogoro, leader of the Choshu faction of the Ishin Shishi, would be here today, searching for men that would best be able to serve him and fight in Kyoto.

If not anyone else, he was the one man that I had to impress. I had to prove myself to him. His opinion of me was the only one that mattered right now, at least to me.

The whispers got louder as more and more men came to see what all of the commotion was about, and by the time I reached the wooden post, it was no longer as desolate as it was before. Standing a few feet in front of me were three men; big men with amused smirks and condescending looks in their eyes.

"Well, well, well, look at what we've got here," said the man standing in the middle.

"Awww…how cute. The boy even brought his own swords to play with," taunted another man.

"I'll give you a ryo if you can break that in two tries," the first man said gesturing towards the post.

At this, a huge group of men had surrounded us to watch the red haired kid humiliate himself. I glanced at the general direction of the hill and smirked to myself as I noticed that Katsura and Takasugi seemed to be watching the whole incident with a curious look.

"We'll see about that," I replied coolly to the man as I slipped my right foot forward and placed my right hand inches from the hilt. I was kind of nervous because of the huge crowd of people watching me, but after closing my eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, the only thing that existed in my mind was me, my sword, and the wooden post standing about 15 feet in front of me. My eyes snapped open the precise second that I rushed towards the post at god-like speeds and my form disappeared from the eyes of the men watching me. A second later, I unsheathed my sword, sliced the post in half, and brought my saya, in my left hand, up to smash the top half into a thousand splinters flying through the air.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Sou Ryu Sen," I said with my left arm still extended in front of me. I brought both of my hands down to my sides and smiled to myself at the shocked and amazed looks that surrounded me.

I slipped my sheath into my hakama pants, before putting my hand out to the man that had underestimated me. "One ryo please."

His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide, staring at the cleanly cut bottom half, and the splinters littering the floor around it. I cleared my throat to gain his attention, and he grudgingly handed the money to me before walking away with an annoyed look on his face.

I watched him stalk towards the other side of the field, and sheathed my sword as I felt two ki's coming up from behind me. I turned around, and seeing that it was Takasugi and Katsura, hastily bowed down in respect. They bowed back and straightened up with looks of awe and respect on their faces.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kenshin carefully pulled his sword out of his hakama ties and set them on the floor beside him, turning to face the man kneeling in front of him with a serious look on his face. They both had trays in front of them and Kenshin was slowly sipping his tea. Takasugi was sitting against the wall beside them.

"I am Katsura Kogoro of the Choshu faction of the Ishin Shishi," introduced Katsura to Kenshin.

"It's nice to meet you sir," Kenshin replied politely.

Katsura nodded before continuing. "What is your name?"

"My name is Himura Kenshin."

"Kenshin, how old are you?"

"I'm fourteen sir," he replied.

"Only fourteen and already such an accomplished swordsman," mumbled Katsura making Kenshin blush at the compliment.

"My Shishou is still way stronger than me."

"Your shishou? What sword style do you use Kenshin?" asked Katsura.

Kenshin blinked. "I use the Hiten Mitsurugi Style."

"So that was the Hiten Mitsurugi School? I've heard of it, but I didn't know it truly existed," said Katsura in awe.

"But let me ask you something," continued Katsura, "have you ever killed a man with this Hiten Mitsurugi School?"

Kenshin looked down and took a sip of his tea calmly. "No!" he said firmly.

"Then, do you think you could?" he asked grimly, carefully watching the boy sitting in front of him.

Kenshin lowered his tea cup from his mouth and set it carefully down on the tray in front of him. He looked at the tea cup with a thoughtful look on his face, before looking up at Katsura with a determined and serious look in his eyes.

"If my blood-stained sword and those murdered lives," started Kenshin slowly, "can bring about a new era where everybody can be treated fairly and can live in peace and without fear, then I would use it to kill."

"I see," said Katsura with a newfound respect for the determined youth. "We are leaving for Kyoto first thing in the morning. Take a room and get some rest," instructed Katsura.

"Hai Katsura-san," said Kenshin bowing before making his way out of the room.

XXXXXXXX

I sat on the window sill of my room with one leg drawn up and the other dangling over the edge. I leaned my sword against the wall right beside me and took a deep breath, enjoying the view of the sunset in front of me and relishing the feel of the cool breeze on my skin.

This really is my only chance to enjoy the peace. I've heard Katsura's bodyguards talking about the violence and conflicts that are taking place in Kyoto. I still couldn't believe that Katsura chose to take me to Kyoto. I guess with all of the degrading remarks I've received from Shishou, I actually started to believe them.

The breeze ruffled my red hair as I thoughtfully watched the setting sun paint the sky with reds, oranges, and pinks, all mixed together perfectly.

Things are only going to get a lot harder from here.

Killing…

Can I really take away someone's life in exchange for others?

Is it really fair?

How could killing people, end up saving lives

I shook my head as the doubtful thoughts clouded my mind. It didn't matter what I thought. As long as a new era was brought about in the end, everything that I will do will pay off. Besides, I promised Katsura-san that I will do what I can, even kill.

Finally feeling partly satisfied with my conclusion, I stood up from my place and stretched out my stiff limbs and though it was still early, I decided to call it a night and get some sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Upon walking into the grand city of Kyoto, Katsura and his chief aide/bodyguard, Katagai, chuckled at the widened eyes of the young idealistic boy walking beside them. They could see that he was trying, but failing miserably to keep an impassive look on his face as he tried to take in everything around him all at once. His eyes were darting quickly in every direction, as he took in all of the people and shops that lined the roads. Never in his whole life, had Kenshin seen so many people and such a big city. He followed Katsura in a slight daze as he observed the people quickly going about their daily errands.

Kenshin didn't know how long they had been walking, but as they walked through the marketplace, Katsura suddenly tapped a finger on a short woman.

"Katsura-san! You're back!" cried out a middle aged woman turning around with a surprised look on her face. "How many men did you bring this time?"

Katsura chuckled. "You don't have to worry Okami-san. I only brought a couple this time," he said stepping aside to reveal the two men and young boy.

Okami raised an eyebrow at the small red-haired boy standing to the side, who was curiously looking around wide-eyed at the people milling around them, but seeing the slightly haggard looks on the older men, decided to get to business first. She turned to the two older men standing in front of her and instructed one of her serving girls to show them back to the inn. They would be sharing a room until some of the other men were transferred to a different safe house. Several hours ago, a group of about 7 men arrived saying that they were assigned to stay in Okami's inn for a few days. The Kohagi inn only had 15 rooms and with almost 20 men already staying there, the extra men meant that they would have to double up. Of course, that wasn't including Katsura-san and the people that he had brought. She had been hoping that Katsura wouldn't be coming back for a few more days, just enough so that the other men had time to move back to their usual places.

"Don't tell me you brought _another boy_ into this," said Okami in exasperation.

"He's 14 years old. He's not really a boy anymore…" said Katsura.

"Not a boy? Besides the fact that he's even smaller than the last one and he looks like a 12 year old, he hasn't even celebrated his genpuku yet," she said with a disapproving look on her face.

"He's talented," said Katsura with a frown on his face. "Just like Hara.

"Oh yeah, a couple of 14 year old boys are going to be our salvation in this war," scoffed Okami sarcastically, leading them to a fish stand where she purchased several baskets of them.

"Himura-kun, this is the owner of the inn that we will be staying at, Okami-san," introduced Katsura. "And Okami-san, this is Kenshin Himura."

Okami smiled kindly at the young boy as he shyly bowed to her. "Himura was it? Well right now, all of our rooms are being used. I hope you don't mind rooming with someone," she said sending Katsura a pointed look.

"Oh I don't mind Okami-san," he said politely.

"Oh," said Okami with a happy look on her face. "Then I guess the most obvious person to put you with would be Hara."

"Hara?"

"Hai, he's on an assignment right now. You'll meet him tomorrow Himura-kun," said Katsura. "Katagai and I actually have some things to take care before dinner. Would you mind if we left you here with Okami-san to help her as she finishes grocery shopping?

"No, I don't mind helping out," said Kenshin kindly.

"Good, Okami-san will take you around town tomorrow as well so you can learn your way around," said Katsura glancing at Okami who nodded. "And I'll get Hara-san to show you around too."

"Okay, bye Katsura-san, Katagai-san." Turning back to the older woman, Kenshin offered to carry some of the bags in her hands and was rewarded with a thankful smile. As they walked, Kenshin was once again captivated by the big city and its people.

"Not from a big city?" Okami stated more than asked with an amused look on her face.

Kenshin shook his head, "My Shishou and I lived up in the mountains. We only went into town to buy supplies and even then, there weren't even a fourth of the people here."

Okami took him to several shops, each selling their own specialized products. Vegetables here, fruits there, tofu here, fish there, and the list went on and on until Kenshin and Okami were both overflowing with bags of groceries in their arms. While the redhead watched the older woman haggle with the vendors, he was paying close attention to the streets that they took and immediately noticed that many of the side streets and even main streets looked practically identical. If Kenshin wasn't careful, it would be very easy for him to get lost among the maze like streets filling the large city. As they walked, Kenshin started to feel the older woman sending him several inquisitive glances, as if she wasn't sure whether to voice her thoughts or not.

Turning his head upwards, he smiled and politely said, "Was there something you wanted to know Okami-san?"

Startled that the boy seemed to understand her predicament, she pushed her inhibitions aside and curiously asked. "Himura-san, your parents don't mind that you are here?"

"My parents died when I was 5," said Kenshin simply.

"Oh," said Okami with a sympathetic look in her eyes, "I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright," said Kenshin giving her a reassuring smile. "I know how to take care of myself."

"I see," said Okami ushering the short redhead down a smaller, more inconspicuous street. "Come on Himura-chan," said Okami. She couldn't help but feel a little motherly towards the miniscule teen. "It's about time we headed back to the inn."

They walked down a slightly secluded street and eventually walked up to a large inn on the side of the street with a couple of stairs leading up to the entrance. The sign beside the stairs read, "Kohagi inn." Following the gray haired woman to the side gate, Kenshin found himself in a kitchen, which was already occupied with a couple serving girls getting ready to prepare dinner. As Okami immediately took charge of the girls and ordered them with different responsibilities, Kenshin stood awkwardly off to the side, trying to ignore the whispered giggles of a couple of the serving girls that were occasionally sending him flirtatious glances. Struggling to keep the blush from staining his cheeks, he boldly stepped up to Okami and tugged on her kimono sleeve like a young child asking for a toy.

Okami stopped what she was doing and looked down with a slightly surprised look on her face, as if she had forgotten that the boy had been in the kitchen in the first place.

"Okami-san, why don't you let me do that," said Kenshin motioning for the kitchen knife. "I want to help out."

A tender smile lit up on Okami's face before she nodded and handed him the knife so that she could go and deal with the other tasks that made the kitchen a very chaotic place before dinner time. As the redhead chopped the carrots and celery, his mind blanked out and a slight smile appeared on his face, comforted that he was finally doing something he was familiar with.

Just as he was about to finish, he was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as one of the men that had traveled from Choshu with him arrived looking for him. "Himura! There you are," said the man. "Katsura wants to introduce us to the rest of the men."

Kenshin nodded and quickly wiped his hands before following the man out into the dining room where many men were already milling around waiting for their dinners to come. As Kenshin walked in, an impassive look immediately took its place upon his face as men began to send them curious looks and whispered or sniggered at the 'brat with red hair.' Kenshin took his place beside the other two Choshu men and was slightly surprised when all of the noise suddenly ceased. Kenshin looked up as Katsura and Katagai arrived and walked towards them.

"This _brat_ is one of the three men that are joining our cause and I expect each of you to treat him with the same amount of respect that you show these other two men here," said Katsura with authority as he sat down beside them. "This is Kiyoshi-san, Masashi-san, and Himura-san. If they weren't established swordsmen, they wouldn't be here, so I hope that you men will show them the respect that they deserve." Not long after that, the four serving girls, came in with trays of food for the men staying there. Kenshin murmured a quiet 'thank you' as a tray was placed in front of him and proceeded to eat his meal, listening to the talk of the men around him

The crowded dining room was filled with boisterous talk of both past and future assignments, as well as ridiculous rumors that the men had heard. Having nobody to talk to, Kenshin sat and listened intently to what he could hear. Glancing up at Katsura, he realized that the older man was conversing seriously with Katagai. The young boy was tempted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but didn't know whether listening to what his superiors were talking about would be considered rude, so he settled with listening to a group of men that were talking about some recent news in Kyoto.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kenshin followed Okami up a flight of stairs and down a hallway into a room. In one corner of the room was a book shelf and the other corner had a futon, neatly folded. Other than the bag placed carelessly beside the wall, which most likely contained the belongings of Kenshin's new roommate, the room was completely spotless and looked uninhabited.

"This room is too neat," said Okami as she began to prepare the futon that she had grabbed on the way in. "Hara-kun's a nice kid. I think about your age, though he isn't very big, he's still bigger than you, Himura-chan," smiled Okami. "He actually looks his age."

Kenshin winced slightly at the comment. "Won't he be surprised to find someone sleeping in his room when he returns?"

"Oh, Hara-kun shouldn't be back until noon tomorrow. By then, Katsura-san would have told him," replied Okami as she straightened up. "Get some sleep Himura-chan."

"Arigato Okami-san," said Kenshin as he set his small bag of belongings down. "Goodnight"


	2. A New Friend

Disclaimer: Same as before

(Revised)

* * *

Chapter 2: A New Friend 

Okami woke up the next morning surprised to find that for once, someone was already in the kitchen. She stared in wonder as she saw the boy that Katsura had brought, carrying a load of fire wood upon his arms. He set them on the ground and looked up with a smile on his face. "Good morning Okami-san."

"Himura-chan! What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"…I was hoping to help out with again…unless you'd rather not have me here…" said Kenshin uncertainly.

"Oh no! Of course I don't mind. The more help the better! I was just surprised because none of the other men have ever helped out in the kitchen before," said Okami with a slight smile.

"Oh…Well, I don't mind helping. My Shishou always made me do the cooking anyway," said Kenshin as he turned to get water from the well.

'Good kid,' thought Okami as she headed towards the storage shed to get some supplies. As she returned with vegetables and pots in hand, she was surprised to find Kenshin backed up in a corner with an obvious blush on his cheeks as he desperately tried to get away, without seeming rude, from her two serving girl who had surrounded him, giggling and flirting without shame.

Okami almost laughed at the look of relief that appeared on Kenshin's face at the sight of her standing there.

"Ayumi! Natsumi! Leave poor Himura-chan alone and get to work!" she reprimanded, keeping the amusement out of her voice. The girls merely giggled at the young boy and began to do their morning chores.

Kenshin sighed in relief when Okami called off the girls and gave her a thankful look.

"You seem to be pretty popular with the girls Himura," teased Okami.

"Okami-san!" yelped Kenshin as a blush lit up on his face again.

Okami laughed at the flustered boy, thinking how young the boy really still was, and handed him some vegetables, motioning at a knife on the counter.

Kenshin quickly got to work cutting vegetables, as Okami and the other girls began to make rice and soup. Every few minutes however, he found that one of the girls would slip by him and "accidentally" bump into him or would whisper seductive words into his ear. Each time Okami left the room, they would start to giggle and flirt with him until finally, feeling rather annoyed, Kenshin said, "Please, I'm only 14." Kenshin sighed as the girls giggled at his age and went back to work because Okami had returned. Kenshin had no idea what to do when it came to girls. Back when he lived with his Shishou, he never had to deal with girls and Hiko's inappropriately detailed and obscene lessons about the opposite sex had only caused Kenshin to focus more on his training rather than girls.

As he finished chopping the vegetables, he handed them to Okami and helped her pour the miniscule greens into the pot of soup. As Okami ran around the kitchen with her other tasks, Kenshin stood at the stove stirring the contents of the pot over and over again until Okami finally kicked him out of the kitchen with a quick thank you. With nothing left to do, he headed to the dining room to wait for the women to finish up and serve the breakfast. He entered the room and scanned it with his violet eyes. Seeing Katsura motioning for him to come over, Kenshin meandered through the room and took a seat beside the older man.

"Himura-kun," greeted Katsura before he got straight to business. "Okami-san is going to take you out with her after breakfast so that you can learn your way around this area. For now that is the only thing you have to worry about."

Kenshin nodded. "…and I'm going to make a list of the safe houses located throughout Kyoto. The people at these safe houses will take you in and hide you for as along as necessary if anything ever goes wrong. I'll get Hara to show you where they are when he gets back," continued Katsura.

"Hai Katsura-san," said Kenshin just as the door opened to reveal several serving girls with trays in their hands, two of them being the girls he had met in the kitchen. Quickly finishing up his meal, Kenshin got up and wandered over to the kitchen where he saw that Okami was preparing to go out.

"Oh! Himura-chan I was just about to send for you. Are you ready to go?" she asked adjusting the basket she held in her arms. Kenshin nodded and the two headed out onto the street. This time, Kenshin paid special attention to the different routes that they took as Okami showed him around the same marketplace that they had walked through only the day before. At times, the woman allowed him to lead the way as he wandered around the area, and other times, she would take the lead and point out a couple of the safe houses that she knew about.

Finally, after an hour of following Okami around, Okami led Kenshin into a clothing store. Kenshin confusedly looked at the elder woman as she made her way towards a seamstress that was talking to a customer.

"Okami-san, what are we doing here?" asked Kenshin.

"Getting you a uniform," she said simply causing Kenshin to start in surprise.

"But I have no money!" sputtered Kenshin.

"Don't worry about it. All of the Shishi get free uniforms and you'll also be getting paid next week," laughed Okami.

'I get paid!' thought Kenshin in amazement. He had never thought about a payment for his work.

Kenshin looked up as Okami began to speak to the seamstress. She was a pretty woman, probably around mid-twenties to early thirties, and she had a pleasant smile on her face as she greeted Okami.

"Okami-san! I haven't seen you in the longest time! What brings to my little shop?"

"Yukie-san, I've brought you a new customer for the Ishin," said Okami when they had gone to the back room. The woman looked over at Kenshin with raised eyebrows.

"He seems a little young…" the woman Okami called Yukie said. "At least, younger than Hara-kun."

"That's what I said, but apparently Katsura doesn't think so," sighed Okami. "Himura-chan, this is Yukie-san. She is the seamstress that makes the uniforms for the Ishin Shishi."

"It's nice to meet you Yukie-san," bowed Kenshin politely drawing out a small smile on the woman's face.

"Well it's nice to meet you too," she said. "How old are you Himura-san?"

"I know I don't look it, but I'm fourteen," said Kenshin, sighing at the shocked look that appeared on her face.

Yukie snapped out of her amazement and smiled at him. "Well making your uniform should be pretty interesting then," she said beginning to take measurements. "I've never had to make one this small before. It might be kind of fun. Hara-kun's was pretty small, but he isn't as small as you."

"I've heard," murmured Kenshin as he raised his arms for her.

When they had finished, Kenshin and Okami quickly began their trek back to the Kohagi Inn, with Kenshin leading. Okami was surprised to find that not only did Kenshin bring them back, but they didn't get lost even once. As they were about to enter the back gate, however, a young man came walking out of the kitchen with his hand over his mouth as he yawned. The minute he saw Okami and Kenshin, he came rushing over.

"Okami-san, let me help you with that," he said grabbing a hold of the basket that was in her arms.

"Oh, Hara-kun, I see you're back," she said as she began to lead the way into the kitchen after sending him a thankful look.

"Hai."

"How was the assignment? I take it went pretty well by the cheerful look on your face," she said as they entered.

"They actually didn't even need me there. Surprisingly, we only had one small run-in with the Bakufu soldiers and that was resolved very quickly," smiled the young man Okami called Hara.

As they reached the kitchen, Kenshin turned curious eyes to the small man standing next to him. He seemed to have young, delicate features, and wasn't all that tall. Of course he was taller than Kenshin, almost a whole head taller, but it didn't take much to be taller than Kenshin. He wore the grey hakama and blue gi that was the uniform of the Ishin Shishi and strangely, the boy had on what looked like a white undershirt underneath his gi. He had long dark hair that seemed black inside, but in the sun it appeared a dark brown, and it was tied into a high ponytail. Feeling Kenshin's eyes on him, he turned his head and their eyes met. Kenshin could tell, just by looking into his dark eyes, that this young man was no ordinary boy. He was a strong and skilled warrior. His dark brown piercing eyes seemed to be examining his soul and Kenshin could see a look of surprise flit across them, before amusement settled into them.

"You must be Himura-san," he said with a smile.

"Hai," said Kenshin slightly taken aback that this stranger knew him.

"Well, you can call me Hara. I'm your new roommate," he said somewhat cheerfully. "I was just about to go out and find you two," he said nodding towards Okami who was cleaning the vegetables for lunch.

"Katsura said to give you this," he said handing Kenshin a list of the safe houses and their locations, "…and to show you around."

"You can rest first; I mean you did just get back didn't you? I was planning on wandering around by myself anyway…" said Kenshin seeing that Hara seemed a bit tired.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he said, "…unless you wanted some time to yourself or something. Then I don't mind getting some rest and meeting up later."

"No, no, it's nothing like that. You just look kinda tired, that's all," said Kenshin.

"Well then let's get a move on," he said leading the way towards the door. "Okami, I'm going to show Himura-san around!" he yelled turning his head.

"Alright! Have fun you two and be careful!" she yelled back.

"Let's see…where should we go first?" Hara wondered aloud with his hand on his chin.

"Well…I was going to explore the side streets and alleyways of this area…" said Kenshin.

"Good idea, those are very useful when you get in a tight spot. Best way to lose people," he said leading Kenshin to a side street. Hara stepped aside and allowed Kenshin to lead and explore the mess of roads while he followed.

"So…Katsura-san says that you're 14 also," started Hara as Kenshin looked down one alley to see a dead end.

"Hai," said Kenshin going in the opposite direction of the dead end.

"When's your birthday?" Hara asked.

Kenshin blinked in surprise. "Uhh…in June…why?"

"Really? Mine too!" he laughed. "What day?"

"The 20th I think..." he replied.

Hara suddenly stiffened and his eyes widened slightly revealing genuine surprise.

"Uhh…what's wrong?"

Clearing his throat and shaking his head somewhat, Hara placed a huge grin on his face. "Wow, that's so weird! Mine's on the 20th too, and yet I'm like way bigger than you. And you've got really interesting hair," he smirked intentionally using a teasing tone.

Kenshin sighed. People just loved to tease him about his size and hair. It's always been like that though, especially with Shishou. "Well I can't help that, I was born this way."

"Hai, hai," laughed the younger boy. "I didn't mean any offense by it. Just pointing it out."

"Oh thanks for pointing it out then," said Kenshin sarcastically, though a small smile tugged at his lips. His companion's cheerful countenance was very intoxicating and before long, the two were laughing happily as they explored the confusing streets.

"I suggest you get yourself a hat Himura-san," laughed Hara.

"Oro?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you've been getting a lot of odd stares from people."

"How could I not?" muttered Kenshin as he turned down another side street filled with steps and lined with a tall wall.

**XXXXX **

After about and hour of exploring, Kenshin had figured out the pattern of the mazelike streets and could easily predict where each road would lead with little to no mistakes. Hara was surprised to find the smaller boy to have already learned these confusing streets already, but nonetheless, after eating some noodles with his new friend for a late lunch at a noodle stand, he began to lead him to one of the safe houses that were nearby. Upon arriving at the wine shop, he showed Kenshin the secret code to gain entry as an Ishin Shishi soldier, and then they went on to the next safe house. They visited about 4 safe houses that were fairly nearby before they decided that they would head back and continue the next day.

By this time, the sun was beginning to set as they tiredly trudged towards the inn. The day's undertakings and excitement really took a lot out of Kenshin. Though they've only known each other for a few hours, Kenshin and Hara had become rather good friends. Kenshin learned that Hara was an easygoing boy that loved to joke around when the time allowed. He was strong and yet gentle at the same time, outgoing, but can also be shy and quiet at other times. His new friend seemed to be filled with contradictions, but then again, many people were.

As they arrived at the inn, they were relieved to find that dinner was about to be served. The two boys quickly stepped into the dining room to find themselves a spot and Kenshin was surprised to find that, though not all of the men noticed their entrance, some did and they seemed to look at them either with fear or respect. Kenshin glanced at Hara, who seemed to force a smile onto his face for Kenshin's sake. The red haired youth looked on in confusion as the normally talkative boy sat down silently beside him in the corner of the room and looked down at his lap as the few that had noticed began to go back to whatever they had been talking about.

"Hara-san, are you…" Kenshin started.

"I'm fine," Hara interrupted forcing a smile on his face. "A few of the men are kind of…intimidated by me that's all."

"Why?"

"For my skill with the sword and my job, I guess," said Hara. "They say that I fight like a demon when I have a sword in my hands."

Kenshin looked at him in confusion. "Why would they be afraid? Aren't we all supposed to be on the same side? Aren't we all fighting for the same thing?"

"It's not as simple as that," said Hara as a tray of food was placed in front of him. "I mean yes we are on the same side, but we aren't all fighting for the same reason. While some like you and I joined for an ideal, some joined because they have a grudge against the Shogunate, and still others joined because of the pay or glory, or because their families forced them into it."

"So you're saying that some people don't even want to be here?" said Kenshin clearly disturbed by the new information. He had thought that everyone that joined the anti-shogunate forces would be doing so for a common ideal or goal. For the betterment of Japan. Apparently he was wrong.

"Nope, not very encouraging is it?" he chuckled darkly. "They aren't all here for ideals, hence the fear of someone that is supposed to be your comrade."

"…Oh" said Kenshin lamely as he let everything sink in.

"Don't worry about it so much Himura," said Hara as he finished off his meal. Kenshin nodded slightly and turned his attention to the crowd of men around him. Most of them were boisterously talking about their recent accomplishments, and still there were a select few that were cautiously watching Hara with fearful eyes. Kenshin ignored them and turned just as one of the serving girls from earlier in the morning came up to pick up his tray. The girl…Natsumi, gave Kenshin a glance and started to giggle quietly to herself. Kenshin blushed slightly as Hara nudged him with his elbow.

"Popular with the ladies eh?" smirked Hara, his good humor returning.

"W-well…I…uhh," Kenshin stuttered as his blush deepened causing Hara to laugh.

"Haha…Don't worry about it," he said slapping Kenshin on the back and rising from his place. Kenshin followed suit and the two boys went out into the courtyard where they sat on the porch, enjoying the evening breeze.

"Hey Hara?" said Kenshin, softly gazing at the twinkling stars above them.

"Hmm?"

"What _is_ your job exactly?"

"…Well, I'm not really supposed to say," said Hara watching the horizon, a little sadly thought Kenshin. "But I will say this. I kind of have two jobs, both of which require the utmost of secrecy."

"Do you like your jobs?" asked Kenshin tentatively.

"…One of them, I don't mind so much, but the other one…I…let's just say that luckily I don't get assignments for that one too much." Kenshin glanced at Hara in concern at the depressed tone he spoke in. His eyes, Kenshin noted, were dull, no longer dancing in amusement or cheer, but rather coated with sorrow…regret.

They watched as clouds seemed to drift lazily through the dark sky and when they settled over the moon, casting the world below in dark shadows, the two got up and headed to there room. Kenshin was exhausted. The day's excursions had really tired him out and when he arrived in his room, he immediately grabbed his sleeping yukata and began to change. Feeling a spike of ki coming from his roommate, he was surprised to see that he had also grabbed his sleeping yukata, but was exiting the room.

"Where are you going Hara-san?" he asked in confusion.

"…I'll be right back," he said quickly leaving Kenshin.

"…Okay…" said Kenshin slowly, as he turned and folded up his old peasant clothes and pulled out a futon. Kenshin settled into his futon and lay on his back with his hands folded behind his head, as he stared at the ceiling.

After about 20 minutes, Kenshin heard the shoji open and the rustling of clothes as Hara quickly put his clothes away. Hara prepared his futon on the other side of the room and got in to sleep.

"G'night Himura," he said knowing that Kenshin was still awake.

"Good night Hara," said Kenshin as he began to wonder what his friend was doing for almost a half an hour.


	3. His Second Day

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

XXXX time/scene/point of view change

* * *

Chapter 3: His Second Day

As usual, Kenshin awoke with the sun and headed down to the kitchen, where he began to bring firewood in for breakfast. After finishing that chore, Kenshin began to draw water from the well and bring it into the kitchen. By the time he was done with this, Okami had awaken and after a quick 'good morning,' handed him vegetables to chop for the soup. Not long after he began to chop them, the two serving girls Natsumi and Aymui arrived in the kitchen to work. Things started out okay, but after a while, the girls began to shamelessly flirt with the handsome youth again causing him to blush as Okami chuckled at his expense.

"Hey Himura-san," said Natsumi seductively beside him. "You want to escort me to town today?" she asked as she and Ayumi began to giggle again.

"Uhh…I'm sorry Natsumi-san, but I have…some things to do today," he finished lamely though with an innocent smile on his face.

"Oh really?" said Ayumi, "What kind of things? According to what I've heard, you haven't been given any assignments yet."

"Well, you see…"

"Himura-chan," called Okami deciding to help the flustered boy.

"Hai Okami-san," said Kenshin as he left the girls with an obvious look of relief on his face.

"The other girls should be coming in any minute now. Why don't you go and relax for a while," she asked.

"Okay," said Kenshin with a thankful look on his face.

"Thanks for the help Himura-chan," said Okami as Kenshin was about to turn to leave.

"Oh Okami," said Kenshin as he was about to exit the kitchen. "Do you know where I can practice my katas? I haven't been able to practice in a while."

"Well, most of the men practice in the courtyard in the afternoons," she said.

"Oh okay, thanks Okami-san," he said as he left, hurriedly heading towards the courtyard.

Standing in the middle of the wide open space of the courtyard, Kenshin closed his eyes and took deep calming breaths to focus himself. He hadn't done his katas in probably over a week and he yearned for the peace and tranquility that came with the movements. He loved practicing his kenjutsu and felt that it was about time for some practice lest he become rusty.

Kenshin slowly drew his sword from its saya and began to go through the first level of his katas in the Hiten Mitsurugi style, slowly getting faster and faster until only glimpses and blurs of red could be seen by the untrained eye. As he progressed through his graceful yet deadly dance, Kenshin became dimly aware of several men from the inn watching him on the porch, but not wanting to lose the feeling of peace and contentment that came with his katas; Kenshin ignored them and continued on to the second level of the Hiten style.

By now, Kenshin's movements were so fast that even the experienced swordsmen watching had a hard time of following them. The youth would be on one side of the yard performing a slash, and end up on the complete opposite side in the blink of an eye. He would be finishing up a vertical strike on one second, and all of sudden he would disappear and reappear in the sky with his sword above his head the next. The only person that was able to almost completely follow his movements was the young boy with black/brown hair tied in a high ponytail and wearing a shirt underneath his dark green gi.

Hara watched in amazement as the innocent and seemingly delicate red head performed his katas with so much precision that he was beginning to fear what Katsura had in store for him. 'He's good,' thought Hara. '…as well as fast, by the looks of it, probably faster than me.'

Hara watched in fascination and awe while the logical side of him screamed that the kind-hearted innocent boy that had become his friend would be making a mistake in joining this cause. 'You have to stop him! Get him away from here!' his mind screamed at him. 'He'll go mad with what they're going to make him do!'

Hara struggled with his inner-self, but as he decided that he would talk to Himura and nothing else, he realized that Kenshin was done.

Kenshin gracefully and forcefully performed a final battoujutsu before slowing his movements and going into the cooling down routine that always brought about a feeling of longing and disappointment into his heart. He hated to lose the exhilaration that he felt while practicing Kenjutsu and whenever he entered this stage of his katas, a slight feeling of sadness would disrupt his peace and contentment. But nonetheless, Kenshin sheathed his sword as he finished and quickly pushed his sword into the ties of his hakama-pants. Kenshin breathed deeply and swiped the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead. Upon looking up, Kenshin was surprised at the amazed gazes of more than half of the men housed at the inn. He knew that there were some people watching, but he must have gotten so focused on his katas that he didn't even notice as more and more men came to watch.

Kenshin stood dumbfounded as the men stared at him until Hara suddenly appeared beside him with a huge grin on his face.

"So that's the amazing skill that Katsura had spoken so much about," he said slapping his hand onto Kenshin's shoulder.

Kenshin blushed at the compliment and quickly walked passed the staring men and headed for his room with Hara following.

Upon arriving to his room, Kenshin grabbed a towel from his bag and toweled off the sweat from his neck and face deciding to take a bath later on.

"I should really get some more clothes," commented Kenshin as he put his towel back.

Hara grinned at him. "I could lend you some if you want."

"No, it's alright," said Kenshin. "Come on, breakfast should be ready soon."

The two boys made their way down the stairs and into the dining room. As they walked to the corner that they had eaten at the day before, Kenshin noticed that a hush had befallen the dining room and the men were no longer only staring at Hara, but at him as well. A whisper broke out and Kenshin heard snippets of their whispers. They were talking about him! He looked over at Hara who had his head held high and an impassive look on his face. The two took their places and after several minutes, most of the men took their attention off of the two incredibly strong youths.

As breakfast was being served, Hara turned to Kenshin with a serious look on his face.

"Oro?" said Kenshin immediately noticing the change in mood.

"Himura, why are you joining the Ishin? I mean I know you have ideals, no sane 14 year old boy would willingly want to fight in a war unless he had some strong reasons, but are you sure you're ready for this? Have you ever even killed before?" asked Hara with a grave look on his face.

Kenshin looked down at his hands in thought for a while. Then, with a determined look on his face, he looked up and met Hara's dark eyes.

"While it's true that I have never killed a man before," started Kenshin slowly, "I have made a promise to Katsura-san that if my bloodied hands could bring about a new ear where the common people could live their lives in peace and without fear, and being treated fairly with equal rights, then I would gladly take upon the role that is given to me."

"Killing someone isn't easy," murmured Hara. "I was told that killing is the hardest thing for a man to do, and I've come to realize that they're right. Once you're in, there is no backing out. I just don't want you to regret this."

Kenshin watched Hara as he spoke, noticing as his eyes seemed to glaze over and an overwhelming amount of grief and guilt filled them. Kenshin felt touched that this boy, whom he just met the day before, could be so concerned about him and his well-being. He knew that this war wasn't going to be easy. He's known it since the beginning, but he couldn't back out now. He made a promise, and while he wasn't of samurai blood, his pride and honor as a swordsman wouldn't allow him to back out of his promise.

"I appreciate your concern Hara-san, but if there is anything that my Shishou has taught me, it's that a promise is not made to be broken. And like what I told him, I can't just sit back and watch as people are suffering right in front of my eyes."

Hara smiled genuinely at Kenshin, feeling completely satisfied with the answer. 'In some ways, this boy is younger than me, not to mention still innocent,' thought Hara. 'He's a gentle and caring boy, and killing is going to destroy him, but if I have anything to say about it, I'll make sure he gets through this.'

The two finished their meal quickly before setting off to finish off their safe house visits. By the time noon had come, the boys had finished and after a quick lunch, Hara allowed Kenshin to explore the Imperial district. As they walked passed the expensive and more elaborate looking gates to the huge mansions, Kenshin felt a flare of strong ki walking down the street. Before he knew what was happening, Hara had pulled him aside and into an alleyway with his hand over Kenshin's mouth, stifling the yelp threatening to escape out of surprise. A group of samurai with condescending looks passed by the alley and continued walking as people bowed down on the sides. Hara sighed and released Kenshin.

"I wasn't in the mood to bow down to those jerks," said Hara jerking his thumb back at their retreating backs.

Kenshin nodded and they resumed their exploration until the sun began to set.

"It's getting dark," said Hara looking at the sky. "If you're not too tired, I was thinking of showing you around Kyoto at night. Though I have to warn you, Kyoto is extremely dangerous at night."

"Alright, I have to get used to the danger and darkness anyway right?" said Kenshin.

Hara nodded and after getting a quick dinner the two walked down an alleyway and watched as the streets began to empty of people. By the time the sun had completely set, the streets were desolate except for the occasional person rushing home fearfully wishing he was already safe at home.

"Stay in the shadows," whispered Hara as he began to lead Kenshin around Kyoto. As he led, he glanced back and was surprised to find that Kenshin wasn't there, though his ki was. He squinted into the darkness and that's when he noticed the confused eyes of Kenshin as he stepped out from an alleyway.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

A small grim smile made its way across Hara's face. 'He's good,' he thought slightly unnerved by the way that the boy was taking to moving as a shadow.

"Nothing," he said and began to head towards the Gion district where he knew the boy would visit on many occasions due to his assignments.

Kenshin stayed in the shadows as best he could and followed Hara through the night. On several occasions, they even hopped up onto the roofs and began to run across them. Throughout all of this, they didn't make a sound except for the occasional whisper between the boys and a faint rustle of their clothes. Kenshin had no trouble keeping up with Hara and he paid close attention to the streets that they were passing, committing the mazelike streets to memory.

Before long, the two boys began to notice more men that were on the streets, most drunk. Hara stopped on the roof of a crowded building spilling lights onto the street.

"Where are we?" asked Kenshin from his place on the roof.

"We are in the Gion district. This is one of the most popular places that the men …visit. They normally visit here to have a good time, either by gambling, or drinking, or …other things," said Hara pointing to a group of men.

"I suggest you remember where this place is," he whispered and hopped down into the alleyway beside the building. Kenshin followed and landed lightly on his feet.

"These alleyways are also very important for escapes. If I'm right about your job, you will be visiting this area a lot," said Hara as he began to lead Kenshin through all of the alleys and side streets.

By the time they returned to the inn, it was practically midnight. The two stumbled up into their room and threw themselves onto their futons without even bothering to change. In a matter of minutes, Kenshin was fast asleep in the comfort of his futon dreaming pleasant dreams.

* * *

AN: heres the next chapter. I know I promised to update in a week, but I got really busy and found myself having no time to really update anythihng. I was thinking of making some changes to this chapter, but decided agianst it. I'm still working on the 4th chapter and will get it out as soon as i can. I can't garantee that it will be out within two weeks, but i will try.

Please Review! It will motivate me to work faster!


	4. First Assignment

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

**XXXXX** Time/scene/point of view change

AN: so sorry about the long update, but I found that I was changing this chapter several times. I intended it to be a lot shorter, but I guess i ended up merging chapter 4 and 5 into one...hehe...anyway i hope this extra long chapter will make up for the extra long wait!

* * *

_Last Chapter: _

_Kenshin stayed in the shadows as best he could and followed Hara through the night. On several occasions, they even hopped up onto the roofs and began to run across them. Throughout all of this, they didn't make a sound except for the occasional whisper between the boys and a faint rustle of their clothes. Kenshin had no trouble keeping up with Hara and he paid close attention to the streets that they were passing, committing the mazelike streets to memory.   
_

_Before long, the two boys began to notice more men that were on the streets, most drunk. Hara stopped on the roof of a crowded building spilling lights onto the street. _

_ "Where are we?" asked Kenshin from his place on the roof._

_ "We are in the Gion district. This is one of the most popular places that the men …visit. They normally visit here to have a good time, either by gambling, or drinking, or …other things," said Hara pointing to a group of men._

_ "I suggest you remember where this place is," he whispered and hopped down into the alleyway beside the building. Kenshin followed and landed lightly on his feet. _

_ "These alleyways are also very important for escapes. If I'm right about your job, you will be visiting this area a lot," said Hara as he began to lead Kenshin through all of the alleys and side streets. _

_ By the time they returned to the inn, it was practically midnight. The two stumbled up into their room and threw themselves onto their futons without even bothering to change. In a matter of minutes, Kenshin was fast asleep in the comfort of his futon dreaming pleasant dreams._

* * *

Chapter 4: First Assignment 

I woke up, my third day in Kyoto, thinking that I would have another enjoyable day with Hara. Boy was I wrong.

It started out normally, with me helping out in the kitchen, and then joining my new friend for breakfast, but just as we were about to step off of the back porch to head to town, Katagai approached us.

We both bowed respectfully to the older man, who bowed back and a small smile appeared on his face.

"I'm glad to see that you two have become friends. How's the exploring going?" he asked looking at me.

I looked up at him and said, "It's going pretty good. I've already learned my way around this area, the Imperial district, and the Gion District, as well as the side streets and alleys. We were just about to head out to explore the outskirts of Kyoto."

Katagai looked at me, astonishment clearly visible on his face. "You've already learned that much in two days!" Katagai exclaimed in amazement. "You really are a brilliant kid," he murmured to himself.

I felt my cheeks heat up as my sensitive ears picked up the murmur and I looked down uncomfortably.

"Isn't he? He gave quite a demonstration of his sword abilities yesterday. Did you hear?" said Hara cheerfully.

"Aa, I heard. How could I not? The men have been talking about it constantly since then," chuckled Katagai causing my blush to deepen. "Anyway, Himura do you mind if I speak to Hara-kun privately?"

"Sure," I said about to move. But before I could go anywhere, Katagai motioned for Hara to follow him and they stepped out into the courtyard where they wouldn't be disturbed. I sat down on the porch, all the while watching curiously and in growing concern as they both seemed to glance at me and Hara's earlier cheerful mood diminished to a serious, tense expression.

XXXX

Hara followed his superior out into the courtyard as the feeling of dread began to fill his heart. The only reason that Katagai would ever need to speak to him privately was for an assignment. And while he knew that he could handle any assignment given to him, he still couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous and anxious about what he would be asked to do. He could only hope that the assignment had nothing to do with a black envelope and a man marked for death on it.

As Katagai stopped and turned towards the shorter soldier, Hara made sure to keep all emotions out of his face. He watched curiously as Katagai seemed to briefly glance at Kenshin for a second, before turning serious eyes upon his own dark brown orbs.

"What do you think of him?" he asked catching Hara off guard by the unexpected question.

_Katagai-san's asking for my opinion?_

Hara glanced at the young red haired boy watching curiously from the porch of the inn, before looking down at the floor in thought. "He's a good kid," began Hara slowly. "Pure of heart, innocent….maybe even naïve. He's one of the gentlest and kindest people I've ever met, but he's also strong, stubborn…and he understands…"

"Understands?" urged Katagai.

"…He understands certain things that people our age shouldn't understand for at least several more years. Things that even grown men have a hard time grasping, about life and death, and even about the world in general."

"Aa," mumbled Katagai as he thought of Hara's response. "He's seen too much for someone his age; you both have."

"Is Katsura-san making him a …hitokiri?" asked Hara slowly bringing his eyes to the older man's.

"Aa," murmured Katagai, a hint of guilt and remorse clear in his eyes.

"It'll destroy him you know," stated Hara looking at the older man grimly. "Physically, he'll be untouchable, invincible even, but emotionally, mentally, I'm afraid he won't come out of this unscathed."

"I know, but you have to understand," said Katagai glancing at the red-head once again. "Katsura-san is the head of the Choshu Ishin Shishi. He has to put aside his feelings. His priority is the cause and he has to do what is best for the cause, even if it means using children like the two of you."

Hara sighed. "I know, and I don't blame him. Besides, I don't think you can really call us children anymore. Our innocence is gone…well at least mine is, and Himura's will be soon enough. And we made our decisions. It's nobody's fault but our own that we are here," elaborated the dark haired boy. "Anyway, when does he start?"

"Well, Katsura was going to get him started next week, but seeing how quickly he's learning the city, I wouldn't be surprised if Katsura gives him his first assignment in a few days," replied Katagai.

"I see," said Hara.

_I'll get him through this. I will..._

"Is that all?"

"No," said Katagai. "Tonight, we're going to be transporting the ammunitions we stole a few days ago to the safe house at the outskirts of town. Rumors have been going around that the Bakufu have been raiding inns in search of Ishin soldiers or ammunitions. We have to get them out of here immediately."

Hara nodded listening attentively. "Am I needed?"

"No," answered Katagai bluntly. "Both Iizuka and I will be there to ensure its success. You'll be needed else where. Katsura has a meeting tonight at the safe house near the Kano River. We received a tip that the Bakufu have been anticipating the movement of the stolen ammunitions and it's reported that they have been increasing their patrol forces throughout Kyoto. You are to safely transport Katsura to the meeting and back. Katsura has also requested that you take Himura along for the experience, though he is to remain out of sight. If an encounter ensues, Himura is not to get involved in any conflicts unless absolutely necessary, which is doubtful considering you are more than capable for this assignment."

"Understood," said Hara taking in every word and storing it into his mind.

"Also, be sure to stop by the seamstress for Himura's uniform," said Katagai in a dismissing tone.

"Hai Katagai-san," replied Hara, "and good luck."

Katagai nodded. "You too." The two bowed and left in opposite directions, Hara towards Kenshin, who had begun daydreaming, and Katagai towards the back gate.

Kenshin looked up as Hara stopped in front of him with an emotionless look on his face.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Kenshin nodded and got up from his spot on the porch, wondering what had been discussed by the two patriots. "I'll explain on the way to the Seamstress's shop," said Hara as if he had read Kenshin's mind.

"Seamstress's shop? Why are we going there?"

"To get your uniform," Hara said simply as they walked out the back gate that Katagai had taken moments before. "…for tonight."

The two boys walked on in silence for several minutes, until Hara finally began to explain to Kenshin what had been discussed with Katagai, minus the parts about the redhead himself. By the time that Hara had finished explaining the situation that they would be in that night, they had arrived at the seamstress's shop and were walking to the backroom where Yukie the seamstress was speaking to one of her customers.

"Arigatou, please come again," said Yukie as she handed the packaged clothing to the young woman.

"Ohayo Yukie-san!" Hara said forcing a pleasant smile onto his face. She turned around.

"Hara-kun! I haven't seen you for a while now!" she exclaimed her face brightening considerably. "Oh, and Himura-kun too! I take it you're here to pickup your uniform?"

Kenshin nodded after mumbling a greeting. "Well alright, wait right here and I'll be right back with your clothes."

The two boys waited patiently and after a few minutes, Yukie came out with two bundles in her hands. "Himura-kun, I had so much fun with making your miniature uniform, that I decided to make you an extra pair of clothing to go with that pretty hair of yours," she said handing the two bundles to Kenshin, who had a surprised expression clearly on his face.

"Y-Yukie-san, you didn't have to do that!" he sputtered.

"Oh nonsense, it was no trouble at all!" Yukie said waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, by the looks of it, your own clothes are getting a bit small, and won't be fitting you for much longer. I put in big hems in your clothes, you know for growing room," she winked.

Kenshin blushed. "A-arigatou."

Hara chuckled. "She's right you know, you may be short and puny now, but sooner or later, you're going to get a growth spurt. You should listen to this woman, she's very wise beyond her years," he joked.

"Oh you're too kind Hara-kun," Yukie laughed.

"Well we better be on our way," said Hara bowing. "We'll come by and visit if we have time."

"I'd like that very much. Be careful you two," Yukie said as the two turned to leave.

"Thanks again Yukie-san!" Kenshin said before following Hara out into the crowded streets of Kyoto. The two headed towards the Higashiyama-ku, a district on the eastern outskirts of Kyoto, and before long, the many elaborate homes turned into shops and temples on the peaceful streets.

"After you learn your way around, I'll show you the meeting place for tonight," said Hara keeping his eyes straight ahead, opposite of Kenshin who was looking left and right, committing every detail to memory as best he could.

"Is that what you do? Are you a bodyguard?" asked Kenshin.

"Partly. You'd be surprised at how many strong and competent swordsmen there are that have no idea what ki is, let alone have the ability to sense it. I am usually there with another so that if we run into Bakufu, there is someone that is always with the guarded while I fight the Bakufu. But normally, I'm able to sense the opposition and lead our group through a safer route. Tonight, if a confrontation is unavoidable, and we find ourselves in an encounter with the Bakufu, you aren't to get involved unless I say so," said Hara watching Kenshin with serious eyes.

"But what if-"

"No buts. Unless I say to, you aren't to get involved. If _and only if_ I give you the signal to help out, you are to dispose of your opponents swiftly. We can't leave any witnesses because we are to remain a secret. Understand?"

"What do you mean we are to 'remain a secret?'" asked Kenshin allowing his eyes to express his confusion.

Hara sighed. "You know…you and I, we're a lot alike. I can't say much right now. I can only tell you that our other 'job' requires the utmost of secrecy. Let's just say that we are the Ishin Shishi's secret weapons. Don't worry, Katsura-san will explain what exactly we do soon enough," elaborated Hara as they turned into a dirty alleyway.

Kenshin nodded. "Alright."

XXXXXXXXXX

After several hours of exploration, Kenshin had not only grown accustomed to the peaceful and tranquil outskirts of Kyoto, but he was also somewhat familiar with the remaining districts. He would have liked to be able to fully explore the extra districts, but Hara had said that the most important places to learn were the Gion, and Imperial districts because that was where most of his assignments would take place. The rest he would learn as time goes by. By then, it was way past lunch time, and the boys were starving from the excursions. Stopping at a noodle stand, the two ordered some Soba and sat down to eat and rest for while.

"Hey! I just remembered something!" exclaimed Hara, his mood considerably brighter than it was that morning.

"Oro, what is it?" said Kenshin looking up from the noodles in his bowl.

"The paymaster is coming tomorrow! You have no idea how much we get paid! It's incredible!"

"Really?"

"It's true," Hara babbled on happily, "and the first thing I'm gonna do is to bring you to buy yourself a hat!"

"Oro!" said Kenshin causing Hara to laugh at the expression on his face.

"You know you need one Himura," he laughed.

Kenshin smiled. "Yeah I guess your right." As the two grinned at each other, they both knew that an unspoken trust had been formed between them. Kenshin and Hara both felt as if they had been friends since they were children, while in reality it had only been about three days since they met.

After they finished their meal, Hara proceeded straight to business and showed Kenshin the place where Katsura would be having the meeting. He also showed Kenshin various routes in case they do run into some Bakufu forces that night.

Kenshin listened attentively as Hara explained numerous points one after another. As they reached the Kano River, the two boys sat down underneath a large maple tree and Hara began showing Kenshin some imitated bird calls that they could use if they ever ran into trouble. After a few tries, Kenshin was able to get it down pretty easily considering he had lived on an isolated mountain filled with nature with a hermit for a Shishou, who had also taught him some bird calls 'just in case,' he had said.

XXXXXX

The sun had set and Kenshin was in his new room, which was right next door to his old room with Hara. Apparently, about half of the men staying at the inn were being transferred to the safe house that's going to hold the ammunitions, therefore freeing up some rooms so that the remaining men no longer needed to double up in rooms. Kenshin was getting ready for his first assignment, if you could call it that, and his heart was thumping wildly in his chest as he quickly and quietly opened up the packages that Yukie-san had given him. One contained a navy blue gi and grey hakama - his new uniform. The other contained a forest green gi and an extra pair of grey hakama. Like Yuki-san had said, there were big hems in the sleeves of the gi and the bottom of the hakama pants to grow into. Setting his green gi and extra hakama aside, Kenshin quickly changed into his new uniform.

He pulled the hair tie out and promptly brushed his hair, gathering up the loose hair that had fallen out of the ponytail earlier that day and pulling them all up into a neat and tight topknot. As he finished tying his hair up, Kenshin heard a knock and turned as Hara opened the shoji door. He was already dressed in his Shishi uniform and had an expressionless look firmly in place.

"You ready?" he asked. Kenshin nodded and got up to follow Hara out into the common room of the inn. To Kenshins's great surprise, the room was filled with about 50 men, nearly 30 of them recognized as men that were staying, or had stayed at the Kohagi Inn, and the others Kenshin figured came from other safe houses located throughout Kyoto. They all wore dark blue gis and grey hakamas, and their faces were tense and nervous.

"Come on," said Hara leading him to the back of the room where Katsura was waiting. "We'll be leaving as soon as this group moves out."

As Kenshin and Hara reached Katsura's side, Katsura stood up and the room became deathly silent. With an air of authority, Katsura began to speak.

"As most of you already know, it has been confirmed that the Bakufu have indeed doubled their patrol forces at night. With such a large caravan such as yours, confrontation will be inevitable," Katsura paused briefly to scan the room with his eyes. "As such, the caravan will be split into two smaller, more inconspicuous groups each led by Katagai-san and Iizuka-san. Commander Susumu, Tetsuya, and Tadashi, you and your squads will go with Katagai-san. The rest of you will go with Iizuka. It will be dangerous, as are all assignments, but I believe that you are all more than capable of handling this mission. We're counting on you guys!" he cried out signaling a loud cheer from the men as they each pushed away his worries and doubts, and replaced them with focus and determination.

Kenshin looked around at the group of men as they enthusiastically psyched each other for the upcoming move. Katsura-san sure knew how to get his men pumped. Kenshin couldn't help but to feel proud to be able to serve such a great leader.

After about a half an hour of preparation, the first group left led by Katagai-san and the second led by Iizuka-san left in the opposite direction. It was then that Katsura finally looked at his two young charges.

"You ready?" he asked looking at Hara, and then Kenshin. Hara and Kenshin nodded, though Kenshin did it somewhat hesitantly. He was nervous and his heart was pounding crazily in his chest. Katsura placed his hand on Kenshin's shoulder and he jumped slightly at the contact. Katsura chuckled. "Don't worry. You're only here to observe so there is no reason to be nervous."

Kenshin nodded, taking a deep breath and turned his eyes to Hara, who was watching him. Seeing that Kenshin's eyes were no longer uncertain and were filled with determination, Hara nodded and began to lead them out.

"Himura, remember to stay invisible," said Hara quietly.

Kenshin nodded and slunk back into the shadows. In a matter of seconds, not only had he disappeared from sight completely, but his ki had also vanished without a trace. Katsura blinked, slightly surprised. "He's a natural," he whispered to himself.

As soon as Hara told him to stay 'invisible,' many years of training with his Shishou kicked in and Kenshin found himself easily moving through the shadows in silence. Spending hours on end in the forests around their hut had really paid off in the end. If he could walk silently through a forest filled with leaves and branches, walking around undetected through a city was like child's play. Kenshin had to admit that he was actually really thankful for the grueling training that Hiko had put him through for the past few years.

Kenshin trailed behind Hara and Katsura as the two began to walk seemingly casually down the street towards their destination. The two seemed to be talking, or rather whispering, as they walked, but Kenshin being a ways behind them, couldn't hear what they were saying, even with his sensitive ears. They walked quickly through the silent streets of Kyoto, with Hara slightly in front of Katsura, and Kenshin trailing from the shadows.

Hara glanced back to where he thought he sensed Kenshin. The boy really was very good with this. Even better then he was when he had first started.

"It's really…unnerving to be followed like this," murmured Katsura.

"Aa," Hara nodded in agreement. Feeling Kenshin's piercing eyes on their backs was for lack of a better word…terrifying. Hara now knew how prey felt like being stalked by a predator, even though they knew that Kenshin wouldn't hurt them. "He has the makings of a legend in him."

"I heard that he's learned most of Kyoto already," said Katsura quietly.

"He has. He's a very bright boy, and he has a great memory, though that could prove to be more of a curse then a blessing to him at this point," Hara said grimly.

Katsura remained silent, thinking about what was said feeling slightly guiltily. Glancing at the emotionless, and serious dark haired boy beside him briefly, Katsura's guilt only doubled. He had done that to the boy. Hara had once been a shy, cheerful, and innocent boy at one point. He had smiled a lot, and when he received his first few assignments, he had still forced himself to smile at the worried inquiries of Katagai, Okami, and Katsura. But after several assignments, his smiles completely disappeared, leaving an apathetic shadow in its place. 'And I'm doing it to Himura now too,' thought Katsura regretfully.

He had to admit that part of him was somewhat glad that the red head had appeared. He had been good for Hara. Both Okami and Katagai had reported an amazing turn around in the young man. The two supporters were extremely surprised to find that Hara was smiling genuinely like he used to throughout the entire time that he spent with Himura. Though the two had met each other barely three days beforehand, they seemed to have already built up an amazing trust.

XXXXXXX

As I followed Hara and Katsura from the shadows, I realized that Hara was taking a circuitous route, avoiding all of the Bakufu that were patrolling the roads and making sure that we weren't being followed. I also found myself slightly bored, though I stayed alert the entire time, as I followed the two experienced patriots through alleyways and side streets instinctively, no longer needing to remind myself to stay in the shadows like I did when we had first started.

And no longer thinking about my actions, only caused my mind to wander. I began to wonder why such a young boy such as Hara had joined the war in the first place. He was a small delicate boy, of course still taller then me, but could still be easily seen as a boy or even a young girl rather then the serious grown up man that I had seen several times. And what did his family say when he left…or did he even have a family still?

More baffling to me however, was Hara's behaviors. One minute he would be smiling and carefree, and the next he would seem cold and distant. I knew that the boy had been originally a kind and happy child. I could see it in the way that he smiled and laughed. But the minute we talk about business or are in the presence of the other imperialists, it seemed like he withdrew into himself. His bright eyes would immediately dull and shutter off any emotions that had been revealed to me mere seconds beforehand.

What could have done that to the boy? And is it going to happen to me too? Hara had said that I would have the same job as him…

I was abruptly jolted from my thoughts as I suddenly sensed a group of strong ki's up ahead, though for some reason they were just standing there. Realizing that Hara had sensed it too and was slowing down, I hopped off the roof, landing lightly on my feet beside them.

XXXXX

Katsura and Hara almost jumped when the young redhead suddenly seemed to materialize out of thin air right beside them. Though they didn't show their surprise, their hearts were hammering violently against their ribcages as Hara stopped in the middle of the long alleyway.

Turning his attention back to the situation at hand, Hara glanced at Kenshin momentarily before looking curiously ahead, to the area where the Bakufu troop had stopped.

"Why are they just standing there?" he murmured to himself.

"How many?" asked Katsura. He himself was a skilled swordsman and he could sense other swordsmen as well, but his abilities were somewhat limited and were nowhere near the level of his young bodyguards.

Hara's eyebrows scrunched slightly in thought.

"…Five…or is it six?" he murmured counting the auras carefully.

"Six," said Kenshin confidently. "One is able to mask his ki somewhat."

Hara looked up into Kenshin's eyes. The moment their eyes met, Kenshin knew what he was being asked to do. Nodding slightly, Kenshin hopped back onto the roof and headed on silent feet towards the group of soldiers up ahead.

Coming up as close as he dared, Kenshin crouched down on the roof to listen in to what the group were talking about. Apparently they were arguing about something.

"It's this way!" growled one man angrily.

"Pshh yeah, like I'd take directions from an ahou like you," said another, the one with the half-concealed ki.

"It is! Look, I've taken this alleyway hundreds of times and it cuts straight to the river! Besides, we're already late as it is, and our captain will have our heads for this. There's nothing left to lose, except a chance to get there sooner and finish our assignments so we can go home!" he said, followed by a chorus of agreeing men.

_Please don't agree to it! _Kenshin pleaded inwardly to the more skilled man who was disagreeing.

"Fine," he grunted grudgingly, "but you better be right about this."

Kenshin was running flat out the moment he heard the man acquiesce to the less experienced soldier. Racing into the alley where Hara and Katsura were waiting, Kenshin immediately jumped off the roof when they came into sight.

"We've gotta get out of here, there coming this way," said Kenshin breathlessly. Hara immediately began scanning the alleyway, and to his dismay, the alley was a long straight one without any doorways or passageways that they could hide in. They would have to go back and find another alley or side street. Quickly ushering Katsura forward, the group ran as fast as they could back the way they had come as the ki's of the swordsmen entered the alleyway. Seeing a slight avenue up ahead, Hara pushed Kenshin and Katsura in.

"Stay here until I come back," he said looking at Katsura. "And Himura stay and guard Katsura."

XXXXXX

I nodded, moving in front of Katsura towards the opening that we had just entered as Hara ran out intending to take care of the Bakufu. Silence fell upon us and I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly with my right hand, ready in case one was able to slip past Hara, though it was very unlikely. Katsura and I waited for what felt like hours, while in reality it had only been about a minute, before we finally heard yells and sounds coming from the direction of the fighters.

"You'll pay for that insult_ boy! _You have no idea who you're dealing with!" yelled one of the Bakufu soldiers. I tightened my grip on the sword at my waist when I heard the distinct sound of multiple swords being drawn and the metallic _clangs _as metal hit metal. I cringed inwardly when I heard the familiar sounds of metal ripping through flesh and bone followed by a bloodcurdling scream choked off as Hara's sword probably cleaved through him. The minutes dragged by, filled with more sounds from the fight, before Hara finally reappeared in front of the alleyway with the coldest, most emotionless look on his face that I had ever seen from the boy, and blood splattered on his face and gi.

"Let's go, other Bakufu may have been attracted by their screams," he said his voice suddenly deeper and quieter then it had ever been. A shudder ran down my spine at the deadly tone of voice that the normally cheerful boy's voice had taken. Hara turned abruptly and led us back towards the direction that we had been traveling before we were interrupted. As we neared the battle scene, the smell of blood assaulted our senses and I saw that there was a look of disgust marring Katsura's features. Looking up ahead, my eyes widened slightly and my stomach flipped queasily at the sight of all the blood and gore littering the narrow alleyway. If it hadn't been for the fact that I was on an assignment of sorts, and that I had seen similar sights before, I would have thrown up then and there. Instead, my thoughts turned dark and morbid as I followed Katsura and Hara passed the decapitated corpses.

Though it had felt longer, Hara had only fought these men several minutes ago. He had disposed of them quickly and efficiently without wasting any time whatsoever. Would I have to do this too? Would I be able to kill someone at all, let alone in such an efficient manner? The sight of the bodies brought several gruesome memories back and suddenly, Hara's cold and distant demeanor become glaringly fathomable. Heck, even my boisterous and arrogant Shishou become uncharacteristically reserved and melancholy when he had to kill bandits or such on several of our training trips. Killing really must be the hardest thing for a man to do…

Hara and Katsura began to slow down from their fast gait, snapping me out of my reverie. We were standing in front of the small humble building that would serve as the meeting place. Pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind, I followed the two inside after Hara had given the hidden guard the secret code that would grant us access.

* * *

AN: Well, what do you think? Longest chapter yet and I'm not sure how long it will take me to get the next chapter out, though I already have some ideas about what's going to happen. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I really put a lot of thought and hard work into it. 

Please review! (begs) Please, please please! I want to know what you thought and how I did on this chapter and possibly get some ideas for later chapters.


	5. Gambling and Sparring

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin!

_ Thoughts_

* * *

  
Chapter 5: Gambling and Sparring

Kenshin awoke to find that for once, the sun was already shining brightly in the sky. Glancing at the clock in the corner of his room, Kenshin almost jumped right out of his futon when he saw that it was already nearly 10 AM. He never slept in that late, but upon remembering the events of the night before and sensing that most of the auras in the Kohagi inn were still slumbering, including Hara, Kenshin relaxed and eased himself out of bed to change.

Last night, Katsura's meeting had taken several hours and by the time they had left the safe house to return to the inn, it was about an hour or so after midnight. The three of them arrived to an almost empty inn, considering most of the men were apparently still out on their assignment. Katsura had thanked the two youths and had headed to the back of the inn where his office was. After watching Katsura disappear down the hallway, Kenshin and Hara both went to their own respective rooms and after changing into their yukatas, immediately went to bed.

Kenshin had only been asleep for about an hour before he was suddenly jolted awake when Hara, still dressed in his sleeping yukata, had sharply snapped open the shoji to his room. Practically jumping out of his futon, Kenshin's senses immediately sensed about 15 warrior's auras down in the common room, most of them obviously hurting in some way – ranging from small annoying aches to more agonizing pains.

Quickly following Hara out into the hallway, Kenshin had asked the more experienced boy what was going on.

"The men are back from their assignment. They ran into some Bakufu, as expected, and a good number of them are hurt," he had answered swiftly leading Kenshin down the stairs to a common room filled with wounded men.

The more critically wounded were in a corner being treated by an Ishin doctor and Okami, while the others were scattered throughout the room either treating their own cuts, or being treated by other soldiers or Katsura. Kenshin and Hara had spent the next hour or so bandaging and cleaning up after the men. By the time the two boys had tiredly stumbled into their rooms, it was already nearing sunrise.

Pulling his daisho through the ties of his hakama, Kenshin quietly made his way downstairs and into the common room. Heading towards the kitchen where he knew Okami to be, he passed by a soldier sitting by the window and nodded when the older man mumbled a 'good morning.'

Kenshin walked into the kitchen and saw Okami drawing water from the well outside. He quickly rushed over to her and took a hold of the rope to help out.

"Himura-chan!" Okami practically yelped in surprise. "You startled me. Why are you up so early?"

"It's not early," Kenshin smiled pulling the bucket out of the well.

"Well not technically, but considering how late you went to bed last night, this is early," she said hooking the second bucket onto the rope and dropping it into the well.

"Well then I can say the same to you Okami-san," he said pulling up the second bucket filled with water.

"Yeah well you're a growing boy and you need your sleep," she said in a motherly tone.

"You should tell that to my Shishou," Kenshin winced remembering the times Hiko would wake him up at insane hours for "special training." Kenshin lifted the bucket, one in each hand, and followed Okami back to the kitchen.

"He couldn't have been that bad," said Okami after seeing the expression on the young boy's face.

"Believe me, it was that bad," Kenshin replied setting the buckets down in the kitchen. "He would even throw a bucket of freezing cold water on me when I overslept, and in the winter too!"

At first a disapproving frown crossed the older woman's face, but after Okami began to picture it in her head, she couldn't help but to laugh.

"No wonder you always get up so early," she chuckled ruffling the boy's hair.

Kenshin grinned sheepishly and watched as Okami pulled out some rice balls leftover from the day before. Motioning for Kenshin, Okami led the young boy over to the small table at the corner of the kitchen.

"We don't normally make much breakfast on the day after a big assignment because the men usually sleep in," she explained setting the plate of rice balls on the table. "And the men that are already up ate the food that we made this morning, so I hope you don't mind some leftovers."

"Not at all," said Kenshin taking a seat on the other side of the table facing Okami.

"Good," she said pushing the plate in front of Kenshin. "Now be sure to finish it up. A growing boy needs to eat."

"What about you?" Kenshin asked offering her a rice ball.

"Oh no honey," she smiled shaking her head. "I've already eaten. Those are for you."

Kenshin nodded lowering his arm and smiled. "Arigato Okami-san." After finishing his late breakfast, Kenshin brought the plate over to the wash basin and washed it while Okami began to set some food out on the counters.

"I'm going out to pick up some groceries," said Okami picking up her money purse.

"Do you need help?"

"No, it shouldn't take too long," she replied. "Could you chop some wood and bring it in to cook lunch with while I'm gone Himura-chan?"

"Sure Okami-san," Kenshin said heading to the storage room to get the ax.

"Thank you Himura-chan!"

Kenshin grabbed the ax resting against the wall and going outside, began to chop wood. After finishing, he brought a handful of them inside for the fire, and then stacked the rest in the wood shed behind the kitchen for later use.

With nothing left to do, Kenshin wandered back to the common room. Scanning the room with his eyes, he saw that several men were now up and speaking in quiet voices throughout the room.

"Hey!" Kenshin's head snapped to the left where a group of about 5 men sat by the window. They were all looking at the young red-head and the lean, yet muscled man in the corner had a slight smirk as he beckoned for Kenshin to come over.

The short boy slowly made his way to the group, a slightly analytical look entering his innocent eyes. Something about the man's smirk seemed…unsettling to the young teenager and by the way that the group sat, it was obvious that the man was the leader.

"You must be the new kid that everyone's been talking about," said the man. Not knowing what to say, Kenshin merely nodded.

"The name's Takeshi," said the man. "I heard that you're pretty good with that sword of yours."

"I guess…" Kenshin mumbled hesitantly.

"Why don't you hang with us for a while," he smiled, though Kenshin had the feeling that it wasn't genuine, "…we'll show you the ropes around here you know. Where the best places to go are, who's dangerous and should be avoided…"

By then, the bigger man was standing beside Kenshin with his bulky arm thrown casually over the boy's small shoulders.

"…Umm…no that's okay," said Kenshin tentatively.

"Aww come on Red, we don't bite," he said eliciting a round of laughter from his men. "We just want to help."

Kenshin hesitated somewhat, but deciding to listen to his gut feeling, the boy reached up and gingerly, yet cautiously pulled the man's arm off of him. "It's alright, I think I can manage."

A frown appeared on the man's face, but was quickly replaced by a complacent smirk. "Oh, I see how it is; he thinks he's too good for us."

"No, no it's nothing like that –"

"He thinks that just because he has _some _skill with a sword, that he doesn't need our help," he interrupted exchanging looks with his men.

"No! I…"

"Well don't come crying to us if you find yourself in a situation you can't handle," he interrupted once again. The big man looked at the young boy and to his satisfaction, the red head looked like he was at a loss as to what to do and was beginning to look sorry because he thought he had offended the older patriots.

"Leave him alone Takeshi," a cold voice suddenly said.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hara_-san_," Takeshi said contemptuously, watching with avid interest as Hara stepped protectively in front of Kenshin.

"Leave him alone," he repeated menacingly, his already dark eyes darkening further to an almost obsidian color.

"And if I don't?" Takeshi challenged, an arrogant and defiant smirk crossing his face.

"I'll…"

"You'll what?" he interrupted, "…kill me?"

Hara's eyes narrowed frighteningly and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The men behind Takeshi shifted nervously. Sensing that Hara was struggling to restrain himself from beating the crap out of Takeshi, Kenshin quickly put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder and gently yet forcefully steered Hara to walk away from the men.

"Awww….what's wrong Hara-_san_?" Takeshi taunted at the retreating backs of the boys, "what, are you scared?"

Now that Hara had come back to his senses, he easily ignored the taunts thrown at him and resumed his emotionless mask. Looking over his shoulder he gave Kenshin a thankful glance and the redhead nodded in acknowledgment, all the while continuing to ignore Takeshi's biting remarks.

"Well I guess it's to be expected that killers like you would be cowards when it comes to direct confrontations," Takeshi said nonchalantly. Hara stiffened at his words, but continued walking away. Kenshin's temper however began to flare. He really didn't want to antagonize any of the other patriots, but this Takeshi guy doesn't really give him much choice. And how dare he call Hara not only a coward, but a killer as well! This was a war for goodness sakes, and it was kill or be killed. Practically everyone involved with a war had killed someone before and Kenshin doubted that Takeshi hadn't killed at least one person before.

Whirling around, Kenshin's eyes flashed. "What the heck is your problem?" he said suddenly, his temper finally getting the better of him. If there was one thing that bugged him immensely, it was when his friends were being insulted or hurt.

"Whoa!" laughed the men at Kenshin's sudden outburst. "It seems as though the runt has some fire in him after all."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed frighteningly and his ki crackled so dangerously that Hara's eyes widened. He had never felt such a hostile ki radiating out of the young boy beside him before. Even some of Takeshi's men who couldn't sense ki seemed to feel the dangerous aura surrounding the short boy.

"Those are some frightening eyes runt," teased Takeshi. "Is the runt here to fight your battles for you Hara?"

"Leave him alone."

Takeshi laughed. "It seems the roles have just been switched."

"What do you want anyway?" Kenshin said willing himself to calm down.

"We just wanted to get to know our new comrade better," he said plastering a sickeningly innocent smile on his face. "Though I doubt you'd be able to enjoy the things that we enjoy," he mumbled under his breath eliciting sniggers from the men close enough to hear. "Why don't you join us for some gambling tonight? You can take Hara along."

_He figures he can win some easy money from us cuz we're just boys._

A slight smile appeared on Kenshin's face. "Alright," he said putting on an innocently excited face. "My shishou never let me gamble before."

Takeshi smiled and exchanged greedy looks with his men. "Great, bring some money and have Hara show you where my room is." With that said, the men finally left, all the while talking about how much money they were going to win.

"Are you crazy!" said Hara when the men finally disappeared. "Why the heck did you go and agree like that?"

An uncharacteristic smirk appeared on his comrade's face before it was suddenly replaced with an innocent smile. "Just trust me, it'll be fun."

XXXXXXXX

Hara sat nervously beside Kenshin as they waited for the rest of the men to arrive at Takeshi's room. The dark haired patriot really had no idea what his friend was thinking. When asked to elaborate, he merely smiled and said to trust him. Takeshi had a reputation for being incredibly lucky when it came to the dice. Whether it was due to cheating or his own fortune, Hara didn't know and he had never stuck around to gamble against the older man.

"Alright," Takeshi said suddenly that Hara almost jumped. "Himura, you know how to play?"

Kenshin nodded. "Good, then let's get started."

As the first few rounds began, Hara watched in dismay as Kenshin seemed to lose, though he had only bet a small portion of the salary he had just received a few hours ago. As time went by, the men around them were obviously becoming more drunk and to Hara's great surprise, Kenshin finally pushed the rest of his salary in.

"Whoa there!" cried out one of the drunken men excitedly. "He's betting the rest of his money."

"What are you doing!?" Hara whispered in surprise.

"Trust me," he said that same knowing smile appearing on his face.

"What do you mean trust you?! You've got to have the worst luck in the world. You haven't won one round yet!"

Ignoring his comments, Hara watched as his friend turned his attention back to the game.

"Make your call Himura," smirked Takeshi with his hand on the cup covering the dice.

"…Evens…two and four," he said.

To Hara's and every man in the room's surprise, the young redhead's call was correct. It was not only evens, but two and four just as he had said. His luck seemed to make a complete turn around. Kenshin leaned forward and slid the large sum of money to sit in front of him with a smile marring his face.

For the next few rounds, the men watched in amazement and growing frustration as Kenshin seemed to call every single roll exactly. Hara just sat there in awe as his friend's pile of cash began to grow. He had won his lost money back plus more…a lot more.

Just as the men's auras began to get hostile, Kenshin and Hara decided to leave. Scooping up his pile of cash, the two boys left the drunken men to their gambling.

"How did you do that?" Hara asked in amazement as they headed towards their bedrooms.

"Do what?" asked Kenshin nonchalantly.

"That!" he said pointing at the money. "You predicted it perfectly."

"Oh, that," Kenshin said a smile growing on his lips as they slipped into Kenshin's bedroom and lit a lamp. "Well, while my shishou never let me gamble money, he did teach me how. You merely have to look at the force in which the dice are thrown and calculate the trajectory of the spin inside," he said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"So you knew, since the beginning, what each roll would be?" asked Hara in awe. "And you lost on purpose so that they had a false sense of security."

"Hai."

"You're a genius Himura!" The two boys grinned at each other.

"I thought it was about time to teach that jerk a lesson. I told you to trust me didn't I?"

"Well don't worry about that, you have earned my _complete_ trust!"

The boys looked at each other and identical grins mirrored their faces. Hara's earlier foul mood had been completely lifted by the young redhead in front of him, and he couldn't be more thankful for his companion.

XXXXXXX

The next morning, Kenshin awoke with the sun, as usual and helped out in the kitchen. When breakfast was just about finished being prepared, Hara came into the kitchen and rescued the blushing teen from the flirting girls who had heard of his amazing luck with the dice. Walking into the dining area, Hara found that he wasn't as bothered with the dirty looks the men from last night were shooting him as he used to be. Taking their place in the corner of the room, the two kept their gaze on their food as any eye contact would have sent them into a fit of sniggers that would only anger the older patriots further. As soon as they had finished their meal, the two rushed out of the room and onto the back porch where they could laugh freely.

"That was great! Did you see the way they kept looking at us? And the other men who weren't gambling last night were all so confused," sniggered Hara.

"And I doubt they'd tell the other men that they lost against a kid," smirked Kenshin as they headed out the back gate towards town where they planned on buying Kenshin a hat.

The young teens quickly bought the hat and Kenshin was somewhat surprised at how well the hat worked. With his bright red hair covered, he was finally able to walk without the constant staring of curious passer-bys. He was finally able to fit in with the crowd and it felt wonderful. Feeling his still fat wallet, Kenshin walked over to a food stand and decided to indulge a little as a form of celebration. Walking back to the inn, the boys enjoyed the myriad of snacks that the two had bought. As they entered the inn however, a tall, sleazy looking man with dark hair and a thin mustache approached the two boys.

"Hara-san, Himura-san," he said addressing the boys who still had snacks in their hands.

"Iizuka-san," Hara greeted though his earlier grin had disappeared to be replaced with a neutral look.

"Katsura-san would like to speak with the both of you. He's in the back office," he said.

"Hai," replied Hara. "We'll be their shortly."

The two boys quickly went up to their rooms where they stored their remaining snacks for later and then headed towards Katsura's private office. Stopping in front of the shoji door, Hara rapped against the wooden frame and slid it open when a 'come in' was heard. Stepping into the room and closing the door behind them, the two boys bowed in respect to the man sitting behind a low table. The man Hara had called Iizuka, and Katagai were also in the room. "You wanted to see us Katsura-san?"

"Hai, please take a seat," he gestured in front of the table where two mats were already placed for them.

Kneeling down across from their superior, the two waited for the dark haired man to begin. Turning to Kenshin first, Katsura began to speak.

"I hear that you have learned your way around most of Kyoto already…" Kenshin nodded. Silence enveloped the room and Hara waited with growing dread for what he knew was coming.

"Hara-kun, have you told him anything yet?" Katsura asked.

"No sir, only that he would probably be having the same job as me," he replied stoically.

"I see… well, I think it's about time that you learned what your role in the Ishin will be Himura-kun. Do you know what a hitokiri is?"

"A Hitokiri?" Kenshin looked curiously at the dark expression on everyone's faces.

"Hai, there are people on the Bakufu's side whose very existence threatens our cause and they need to …to be given Heaven's justice."

"…and that's what a hitokiri does? …deliver tenchuu?"

Katsura nodded. "I won't force you into this because it is probably the hardest job that could be given a man. Full grown men have gone insane with blood lust from this job…But…there aren't very many with the skills to do this job and that is why I ask you to take this role along with Hara."

Kenshin looked down in thought, his eyebrows furrowed. "…I gave you my word, and I'm not about to break that. I told you that if my bloodied hands will help bring about a better Japan, than I would happily bloody my hands. I will do what you ask of me…"

"I thank you Himura-kun. You are a good man, just like Hara-kun," he said a guilty look entering his eyes.

"When do I start?" asked Kenshin quietly.

"…tonight. Your assignments will be given to you in black envelopes such as these," he said holding said item in his hand and slipping one across the table to Hara. "Hara you have one tonight as well."

Hara nodded and slipped the black envelope into the sleeve of his gi.

"Inside these black envelopes is the name of the person that needs to be taken care of. There will usually also be a time and a place that they could be found. Here," said Katsura handing the envelope over to Kenshin. "…open it and ask questions if you have any."

Kenshin tentatively reached across and took the envelope. Carefully opening it, he was met with black writing on a small piece of paper.

'Nagata Ryuu

Kamo River bridge – 10 PM'

Kenshin stared at the words. "Who is he?" he whispered.

"It's best not to ask," Hara said emotionlessly before anyone else could answer. Kenshin nodded numbly.

"As soon as you take care of him, Iizuka will come by and take care of the clean up," said Katsura. Sensing the dismissing tone in which he said this, Kenshin rose to his feet and quickly bowed. He left the room and Hara was just about to follow suit when Katsura suddenly stopped him. Turning back to his superior, Hara watched as Katsura brought his serious eyes to meet his.

"Your assignment should be finished before his. I want you to keep an eye on him as soon as you're done."

"Hai Katsura-san," Hara bowed and followed after his friend who had retreated back to his bedroom.

As he entered Kenshin's room, Hara saw that the boy was sitting on the window sill looking out the window with a blank look on his face.

"You alright?" asked Hara.

"Is it hard?" murmured Kenshin.

"I…you learn to get used to it," said Hara closing the shoji behind him. "The actual killing isn't the hard part. You are more than capable…it's the aftermath that's the hardest to deal with…Are you sure you want to do this?"

The nervousness present in Kenshin's eyes slowly disintegrated, leaving a determination in its wake. "Hai…I'll learn, just like you said," he whispered uneasiness still present in his voice.

Nodding, Hara grabbed Kenshin's upper arm and pulled him up. "Come on, I'll help you prepare." He brought Kenshin out to a secluded part of the forestry out behind the inn.

"Alright, the most important thing you need to do is lock away your emotions. It's like putting on a mask to hide them deep inside yourself. If you let your emotions run free, you _really won't_ be able to do it," he said standing across from him. "You need to clear your mind and focus on what you need to do."

"…"

Hara drew his sword out of its sheath. "Going through kenjutsu usually helps with that."

Nodding, Kenshin put his hand on the hilt of his sword and slipped into his battoujutsu stance. For several minutes, the two boys stood there, with blank looks on their faces as a breeze ruffled their long hair. As if by some unheard signal, the boys suddenly rushed at each other and Kenshin found himself forgetting the world around him. He found all of his doubts melt away to be replaced with confidence and concentration.

_He could and would do this! He had to!_

The two boys sparred, releasing all of the stress and tension that had built up in the past hour. As Kenshin met Hara's attacks head on, he was slightly surprised at the level of skill his friend possessed. He had known that Hara was more than capable with the sword, but this was the first time he had seen the dark-haired boy in action. Of course there were slight differences. Because of his bigger build, Hara had more physical strength than Kenshin, but Kenshin had more speed.

The two fought with great intensity, but despite this, they never drew any blood. Had anyone walked into the secluded clearing, they would have only seen blurs and heard the clangs of metal as the boys kept in constant motion, never stopping for longer then necessary.

Finally as if some unspoken agreement had been reached, the boys began to slow down until they came to a complete stop. Silence settled on the clearing, as the boys, covered in sweat both nodded and head back to the inn to make preparations.

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AN: Thanks to those that reviewed my last chapter! and I'm so sorry for making you wait! I've been working on this chapter during my math classes ...lol... but i finally finished it during thanksgiving weekend. ...oh yea and HAppy (belated) THanksgiving! lol I hope you guys like this chapter and I'm gonna pray that you will push the review button below. It will make me immensly happy to hear from you! and it will help motivate me to finish the next chapter faster! 


	6. Assignment Number One

Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

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Chapter 6: Assignment Number One

A low howling wind blew through the dark streets of Kyoto, deserted except for the demons crawling around both physically and mentally in people's imaginations. Amidst these demons, was a young red headed teen, not big enough to be a man, but no longer young enough to be considered a boy. Ducking underneath a rather large tree, his eyebrows furrowed as he cast out his senses. Feeling no nearby auras around, he seemingly disappeared and reappeared on a sturdy branch above covered by shadows and leaves and overlooking a rather large bridge. It was on this branch that Kenshin Himura waited.

For nearly an entire hour, he crouched on that branch, barely even moving a muscle as he waited for his ….prey? It seemed ridiculous to Kenshin to think of a human being as prey to be hunted, but in a weird way, it seemed to fit with the situation. A cold wind blew, ruffling the dark red hair that no longer seemed to resemble a carefree fire, but blood. An eerie foreshadowing to the act that would stain not only the ground, but a boy's innocence with blood. Despite the cold air, Kenshin remained motionless, ignoring his protesting muscles until finally, he sensed the ki of a man, clearly irritated, walking down the street directly in front of the bridge. Kenshin tensed slightly, waiting patiently until after the man had completely crossed the bridge before stealthily hopping down into the shadows without making a sound.

"Nagata Ryuu," Kenshin said, slightly surprised at the calm and steady tone of his own voice, "I have come to deliver Heaven's Justice."

At hearing the quiet voice, Nagata whirled around, his hand on his hilt, heart hammering loudly in his chest. But before he could even completely draw his sword, Kenshin had leapt into action. The last thing that Nagata saw before his head was completely separated from his body with a strangled cry, was a flash of red and silver. Flicking the blade free of blood the way he had seen his Shishou do it, Kenshin re-sheathed his sword with a decisive snap, before his eyes slowly strayed to the separated head of his prey. Nagata's eyes were wide open in surprised horror, but despite the face expression, the eyes were hauntingly blank, its light completely put out. Dazed and feeling incredibly numb, Kenshin almost jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

Stoically, Kenshin turned to see an incredulous Iizuka standing beside him. "Damn kid," he said, eyes wide in amazement, "I think you did better than Hara on his first assignment. You didn't even give him the chance to draw his katana." He glanced down at the boy beside him. The short red head seemed to be staring at the head and blood soaking the ground with a blank look on his face, his eyes dull and missing their usual luster. "Hey, you a'right?"

"I'm fine," he said, "I'll leave the rest to you."

"Alright," he said slightly surprised when the boy seemed to disintegrate from beside him.

Kenshin tore his eyes away from the blank accusatory look seeming to emanate from the beheaded man, and forced his legs to move. Within seconds, the young redhead was sprinting through the shadows of Kyoto as if it was second nature to him. And in reality, it had become second nature. He was no longer aware of what he was doing, allowing his instincts to take over, and trying desperately to sort through the jumble of feelings now assaulting his senses. The gentler part of him that was kind and compassionate and had been dominant for most of his life was now crying out in grief at his loss of innocence whether he realized it at the moment or not. It clawed at his soul in guilt and remorse. As he ran down the streets towards the inn, Kenshin viscously shoved his thoughts and feelings aside and willed himself to concentrate on getting back to the inn.

With that in mind, he forced himself to run even faster, ignoring the burning sensations coursing through his legs. When the inn finally appeared in front of him, Kenshin sensed a group of men, probably gambling, sitting around in the common room. Not in the mood for talking to anybody, Kenshin hopped straight onto the ledge outside his bedroom window. He ripped the window open and shoved it closed behind him. In the candlelight of his bedroom, Kenshin suddenly started as he realized that he was covered in blood. He immediately tore his gi off his body as if it was on fire and threw it disgustedly to the corner. Reaching up, he felt a slick residue from his hair and feelings of disgust were suddenly intermixed with immense nausea. Bolting out of his room, he barely made it out the backdoor, before his knees buckled underneath him and he vomited.

His small frame convulsed as his body emptied itself of everything in his stomach. With nothing left to throw up, the boy retched as tears streamed shamefully down his cheeks. He had just killed a man in cold blood. Kenshin gagged as his earlier suppressed emotions began to overwhelm him. He had just killed a man in cold blood! That one thought seemed to resonate in his mind, as all rational thought fled.

Kenshin suddenly tensed as the cold, calculating side of his mind unexpectedly sensed a warrior's aura nearby. What puzzled him however, was that it was half-concealed, but not hostile. It seemed to radiate a calming and comforting sensation ...as if he understood how Kenshin was feeling.

The redhead pushed himself to his feet unsteadily and made his way back to his bedroom, being sure to avoid the other soldiers still up. Shutting the shoji behind him, Kenshin leaned against the wall on the far corner of his room and slid down tiredly. He pulled out his daisho and, placing his wakizashi down beside him, clutched the katana to his chest like a lifeline. The young redhead drew his knees up close to his chest and in that position, he fell into a restless and troubled sleep.

XXXXXXX

Hara sat on his bedroom windowsill staring blindly up at the stars. He had kept an eye on Kenshin just like Katsura had asked, but there wasn't much he could do to help him. His reaction to the assignment had been expected. Kenshin had to learn to deal with the aftermath of his assignments alone. It was an internal battle and Hara couldn't help out as much as he would like to. Throughout the night, there were times when he wanted to jump in and save Kenshin from the torment that he was going through. He wanted to jump in between Kenshin and Nagata and take care of the assignment himself. He wanted to comfort the boy as he trembled on his hands and knees, shameful tears staining his face…But he couldn't. The only thing he could do was let his friend know that he wasn't alone; that Hara would always be there, maybe not physically, but spiritually…mentally.

Hara knew that Kenshin wanted neither pity, nor sympathy at a time like this. Despite the immense feelings of loneliness, solitude was what Hara wanted – still wants – after every assignment, and he knew that it was the same for Kenshin. Why else would he avoid the other soldiers.

Sighing inwardly, Hara got up and slipped into his futon. Lying on his back and staring at the blank ceiling, he cast out his senses to check on his friend next door. He wasn't surprised to sense Kenshin's troubled and afflicted ki probably locked in a nightmare that would leave him with little rest the next day. Feelings of helplessness filled Hara's being, but he viciously shoved them aside and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow…tomorrow he would help Kenshin, but for now, the boy had to fight his own battles.

XXXXXXXX

Kenshin sat at his windowsill, staring blankly at the people rushing around on the streets below as they took care of their daily errands. Despite the initial shock of waking up to the same nightmare that had woken him up several times during the night, Kenshin was slightly surprised at the numb almost surreal feeling he was experiencing. He had woken up early, as usual, but instead of heading off to the kitchen to help out with breakfast as he normally did, the redhead had gone straight to the bathhouse where he spent nearly an hour scrubbing robotically until his skin was red and raw. After he finally gave up trying to scrub the blood that never seemed to leave his hands, Kenshin headed back to his room where he had been sitting for the past several hours.

If Kenshin hadn't been staring aimlessly out at the world, he would have realized that it was already nearing noon and he still hadn't eaten anything. He had subconsciously locked away his heart and his soul, if only to escape the madness that he could feel was beginning to creep up over the edges of his sanity. He now understood why Hara always seemed so … distant whenever it came to his assignments. He now understood how such a kind boy could also possess such an apathetic and cold entity, almost as if he had a split personality. It was a mask, just like Hara had said to him, a mask that hides away his true self, his true heart – that's undoubtedly crying out in despair at the atrocities that he is committing.

A part of Kenshin's mind, the cold and calculating side that was completely aware of his surroundings, registered the fact that Okami had worriedly entered his room for the third time this morning, probably to plead with him to eat something again. But despite his expectations, Okami merely glanced at the redhead, concern clearly etched on her face before she sighed and stepped aside to allow Hara into the room.

"He's been like that all morning," she murmured to the dark haired boy beside her. Hara nodded and gave her a comforting smile, though it was somewhat strained. Seeing that there was nothing left she could do, she headed back to the door and returned to the kitchen to finish preparing lunch for the men.

As soon as Hara sensed Okami's aura enter the kitchen, he turned his attention to the boy sitting on the windowsill in front of him. "Oi! Himura, I don't know if you've noticed, but Okami brought up some breakfast for you a few hours ago," Hara said sarcastically.

"I'm not hungry," came the monotonous reply.

"Yes you are," Hara said matter-of-factly, "you just don't know it. So why don't you just come over here and eat. And then we can go out and do something."

"I'm not hungry."

Hara sighed. "Look Himura, I know how you're feeling, alright. You've got to learn to live with your decisions, and if you don't eat, then everything that you believe in and are fighting for, will be for nothing. Hey are you listening to me?"

Kenshin merely looked out the window, and Hara took a step closer to the boy. "Himura, look at me."

Kenshin ignored him. "Look at me Himura!"

Slowly, Kenshin turned his head to face him and Hara's breath caught in his throat for a second. Himura's eye were no longer the bright violet that he had always seen him with, but rather a dull grayish bluish color… and was that amber glinting in them? Was that how his own eyes had looked after his first assignment?

Brushing it aside for now, Hara cleared his throat and began. "You aren't the only one going through this Himura. I know how you feel, okay? You're a strong kid, probably stronger then me, and if I can deal with this, than you can too," he said seriously. "Now please eat something."

Kenshin's eyes dropped to the ground guiltily and he stiffly got up from his spot and accepted the tray of food that Hara had picked up. Kneeling down, Kenshin began to eat and by the time he was done, every single crumb on the tray was gone. He must have been hungrier than he had thought. Once again Hara was right.

As soon as Kenshin finished, Hara hauled the boy up to his feet, and with the sleeve of his gi firmly grasped in Hara's hand, he practically dragged the boy down the stairs and into the yard behind the inn.

"Where are we going?" asked Kenshin monotonously.

"You'll see," Hara answered. Kenshin allowed himself to be led to into the forest until they finally stopped in front of a rather large river.

Curiously, Kenshin turned his eyes to his friend beside him. "What are we doing?"

"Well, you lived in the mountains with your Shishou right?" Hara asked, a slight glint entering his eyes.

"Yeah…so?"

"So you know how to fish?"

"Well…yeah, but where are the ro-" Before Kenshin could even finish, Hara shoved him towards the water, and he went toppling into the river. Spluttering, Kenshin stood up in the knee deep waters . "What'd you do that for?" he asked open mouthed, slight anger making it's way into his voice.

By then, Hara was laughing hysterically at the look on Himura's face and the redhead couldn't help the ghost of a smile that came to his lips.

Grinning, both from amusement and from the relief of seeing some spark re-entering Himura's eyes, Hara extended his arm to help him out of the water. "Sorry about that, I just couldn't help myself."

Just as Hara had suspected, as soon as their hands grasped, Kenshin tugged hard and Hara was pulled off balance. Carefully controlling his fall, he purposefully grabbed onto Himura's gi and pulled the redhead back into the water so that they both went sailing into the water. Standing up, Hara pulled his soaked gi so that it didn't stick uncomfortably to his frame, before he turned to face the glare he knew Kenshin was throwing him. With one hand still holding his gi from sticking, he threw his hand over Himura's shoulders, a grin marring his face. "Aww come on, loosen up Himura!"

Swiping the drenched red bangs from his face, Kenshin forced a smile onto his lips and turned to head back to land. Not ready to give up on the redhead, Hara bent down and splashed the redhead continuously with the cold water that they were standing in. Kenshin froze in his tracks and stiffly turned around, forcing his slight irritation to the back of his mind.

A slight strained smirk appeared on Kenshin's face and before Hara could get away, the redhead dropped down and swept Hara's feet out from under him, before running the opposite way.

"Get back here Himura!" cried out Hara as he gave chase, smiling inwardly at his accomplishment at bringing the boy back. Hara was surprised at the speed of the boy as he chased him. Running through water was no easy task and he was slowly losing sight of the redhead. Splashing to a stop, Hara's eyebrows furrowed when he thought he heard something from his left. To his complete surprise, something hard hit him on the back and fell into the water with a splash. Whirling around, he caught a glimpse of some kind of fruit floating below him before he quickly splashed out of the water towards Kenshin who was crouching mischievously atop a branch.

Kenshin had pushed his gi off his shoulders and his red hair was plastered to his face and back. In his hand, he held another piece of fruit, prepared to throw it at Hara who was struggling to make it back to land.

"Don't you dare, Himura," threatened Hara, though his face bore a smile.

"Or else what?" asked Kenshin before launching the piece of fruit at his friend. Another smirk made its way across his lips as he jumped from his tree, this time it was more genuine.

"I'm gonna get ya Himura!" cried out Hara though the amusement in his voice seemed to counteract the threat.

Kenshin ran deeper into the forest. He smiled to himself as slowly he began to feel more and more like himself. It felt like he was being brought back to life and he owed everything to the boy chasing him through the forest. Despite the slightly empty feeling in his heart, Kenshin was thankful that he was able to smile again, though at first it was a bit forced. Hara seemed to have a talent for making people feel better. Even Katsura-san and Katagai-san had mentioned his sensitivity towards others.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Kenshin didn't realize that he had slowed down, and so it was to his surprise when Hara suddenly tackled his friend to the ground, the dark haired boy's laughter echoing off the trees surrounding them.

Huffing and Puffing, the two lay on the dirt covered ground, staring at the deep blue sky above them. As their breathing was brought back under control, Hara crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head towards Kenshin. "You okay now?" he asked quietly.

"…Hai, thank you."

Hara shrugged. "I know how hard it is to deal with this, especially without a friend. I just …I want you to know that I'm here…and that I've got your back."

Kenshin's stared thoughtfully up at the fluffy clouds drifting lazily through the sky. "Thank you," he whispered. Silence lapsed around them as the two were drawn into their own thoughts. Nearly an hour passed before Kenshin finally spoke again, a sorrowful look entering his bluish violet eyes. "Does it ever get easier?"

Hara looked over at the boy before he sat up and leaned back on the palms of his hands. "Not really…"

"Does this …feeling ever go away?"

"Feeling?" murmured Hara.

"This…this empty feeling, as if you're not all there…"

Hara looked emotionlessly at Kenshin, before turning his eyes up to the heavens. "I don't think so, if anything, it gets worse over time, especially when you have nobody to talk to."

Kenshin looked at the boy sitting beside him and he began to realize just how selfish he had been. Here was a boy that pushed his own feelings aside to help_ him_ feel better, and all _he_ did was make things harder for Hara with his sulking.

"I'm sorry," Kenshin said.

"For what?"

"For… for acting as if you didn't understand," said Kenshin. "I know that you've been telling me all this time that you know how I feel, but I guess everything hasn't fully sunken in yet. I mean I still can't believe that I'm here in Kyoto, and that I'm…that I'm a hitokiri."

"Don't worry about it. I know all of this can be hard to take in," shrugged Hara. "Anyway, we should get to fishing soon. Okami is expecting some fish to make for dinner tonight."

Standing up and pulling on his slightly damp gi uncomfortably, Hara extended his hand down to the redhead still lying on his back. A soft, sorrowful smile appeared on Kenshin's face before he reached up and allowed the bigger boy to pull him to his feet.

Quietly, the two made their way back to the river and stood at its edges, seemingly staring at it, before Hara finally pulled out a tie from his gi and tied up the sleeves of his clothes.

"You ready?" he asked looking as if he was about to step into the water again.

"…We're hand fishing?" Kenshin stated more than asked.

"…" All of a sudden, Hara burst out into laughter once again. "Yeah Himura, we're fishing by hand. That's why there are no rods around. Truth be told, I didn't even plan on going fishing until right before we entered your room. Okami had asked me to pick up some fish from town, and I figured we could save some money and fish for them," grinned Hara. "..You do know how to do this right?"

"Well yeah, I mean I did live up in the mountains with a hermit for a Shishou," said Kenshin.

"Yeah? Well I bet I can catch more than you," smirked Hara with a mock arrogant tone.

"We'll see," said Kenshin a slight grin riding on his lips.

XXXXXXX

Kenshin sat on his windowsill, staring thoughtfully out at the starlit sky above. He felt a lot better after spending the day with Hara. It was a day filled with revelations for him. He sighed. There was just so much to take in. Despite the fact that he felt a whole lot better than he had felt that morning or the night before, Kenshin couldn't seem to get rid of the hollow feeling inside his heart, nor the feeling of dread constantly nagging at his mind. His eyes…they were no longer that soft violet shade that he always woke up to. Rather, they were now tinged with a bluish color, and that unnerved him more than he was willing to admit. After the fishing trip, Kenshin spent several minutes at a time, staring at himself in the mirror and blinking and rubbing his eyes, hoping that they would go back, but they just stayed that way. Maybe it was a sign of his loss of innocence….or maybe it just meant that he was no longer a child anymore. Who knows…

Sighing once again, Kenshin's eyes wandered to the empty streets below him, filled with shadows and possibly even demons. Demons like himself…

That thought alone brought about a certain hardness to the redhead's eyes and a deep uncharacteristic scowl to his face. It _didn't matter_ if he was a demon. It _didn't matter_ if he was being used as a tool just as Hiko said he would be. What _mattered_ was that his hard work would help bring a new era in sooner. What _mattered_ was that people all over Japan were being oppressed by the Shogunate government, waiting for salvation… for a savior. And while Kenshin had no fantasies of being that savior, he knew that he could help… His blood soaked hands could help, and he wasn't about to hold them back. He would help….no matter what the cost….even if it meant learning to deal with the mental agony that came with his new job.

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AN: Well, what do you guys think? I hope you liked it. I hope it wasn't too rushed or anything... I've been having an extremely hard time writing lately. Can't seem to get in the mood. I mean when I'm not writing, I think about what i want to do, but once i get to the computer, I feel so...restless and lazy. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I also hope that you'll review. Even if it's a simple, two word review, it would be very much appreciated! So please review! Also, next chapter might have a large time gap. Nor quite sure yet... still deciding. If you guys have any suggestions, let me know. 


	7. As the years pass

Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

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**Chapter 7: As the years pass…**

Months passed and Hara watched helplessly as his friend slowly began to become more and more distant. As the boy learned to deal with his new job, he began to lock away all of his emotions and no matter how hard Hara tried, he couldn't get the redhead to open up to him as easily as before. To make things worse, both boys had been immensely busy for the past few weeks. Both would go out and complete an assignment only to return and find out that they either had another one to take care of on the same night, or one for the next night. If they weren't working, the two were eating, sleeping, or resting. They rarely ever saw each other except for the occasional meeting in the hallways, and both boys were normally too busy with their own internal conflicts to really mind the other. Hara himself began to feel extremely overwhelmed with trying to help his companion and keeping the madness in his own soul from engulfing his being.

As time passed by, Kenshin began to make a name for himself as the Hitokiri Battousai in honor of his deadly and undefeatable Battoujutsu. Hara too became known in the underground as the Hitokiri Kuroikaze, but his name wasn't as well known as Kenshin's was, and he wasn't upset about it. Hara did not join the revolution to make a name for himself. He wasn't after honor or glory, but rather simply for the happiness of the people around him.

As the number of assignments steadily increased, Hara was often transferred to different safe houses located throughout Kyoto. It went on that way until he was finally transferred to the HQ at the other end of Kyoto permanently, where he took care of the assassinations on that end of the city. For several months, the two boys remained separated and the only thing they knew about the other, was what they heard from the rumors of the soldiers that often moved back and forth.

Hara was surprised and somewhat skeptical to hear that Kenshin had actually been wounded in a battle. He had sparred the boy several times in the past year and was never able to lay a single scratch on him, not that he was ever really trying to hurt the boy, but suddenly a mere bodyguard was able to give him a scar. He was even more surprised to hear that the redhead brought back a woman one night and that the two had gotten somewhat close. Despite the surprise however, Hara was happy for the young hitokiri.

Slowly, the Ishin Shishi began to make some headway. They steadily chipped away at the Shogunate and nothing major happened until one day during a festival, a breakout later to be known as the Ikeda Inn Incident occurred, which quickly established the great return of the Shinsengumi. And so in that night, the new era took a turn for the worst…

The Incident at Ikeda Inn was full of reports with exaggerations and false information. In the end, Choshu had pulled the trigger. As the chaos grew, an army of 3,000 soldiers went to Kyoto…and in their pathway lay the 20,000 men of the Shogunate armies. The outcome of that battle could already be seen…

Many loyalists, including Kenshin and Hara, fought bravely against the onslaught; however they were unable to avert the disaster later known as the Kinmon Incident. That day, the Choshu clan lost about 400 men while the shogunate side lost only 18. The war burned down over 28,000 homes and most of the owners were forced into the streets.

The survivors from Choshu were forced into hiding and Hara heard that Kenshin and Tomoe, disguised as husband and wife, stayed somewhere in Otsu where they lived on a small farm as a medicine seller and his wife. Hara was happy and relieved to hear the reports from Iizuka that the young couple seemed to be happy, and that the redhead seemed to be smiling a lot more. Hara himself stayed with Katagai and helped him with whatever needed to be done. For about 5 months, there were no assassinations for the young man and Katagai even mentioned once that he may never have to do be a hitokiri again.

One day as the two men were walking through the marketplace at dusk disguised as peasants, they happened to spot Iizuka walking through the crowds.

"That's weird," muttered Katagai to the shorter man beside him. "Isn't that Iizuka?"

"What's he doing here?" asked Hara eyes narrowing dangerously. "I thought you said he was staying at Himura's tonight."

"He was," he replied. "…at least that's what he told me…"

Meeting the older man's suspicious eyes and nodding, the two silently followed Iizuka through the marketplace. Iizuka unknowingly lead the two patriots into the forest at the edge of town and into a small worn hut that seemed uninhabited.

"Something's up and I don't like it," murmured Katagai as they crept up to peek through the wooden door covering the entrance.

"You're right. I highly doubt this is a Choshu base…"

"…You got it. The Choshu clan is finished…"

Hara and Katagai stared in shock at the sight before them. Through the slight cracks and holes in the door, they saw Iizuka sitting before shogunate soldiers and ninja.

"…Katsura has escaped, but the Battousai is still within our grasp. The past five months have weakened his instinct. Now is the best time to strike…" said Iizuka.

Backing up slightly, Katagai pushed Hara toward the path that they had followed. "Go! Find Katsura-san and tell him that Iizuka's been the traitor all along…"

"But…"

"We've got to warn them and you're the faster runner here. Go!" Katagai demanded hastily. Hesitant to leave Katagai behind, Hara immediately fled into the shelter of the trees at the sudden outburst from within the hut before anybody could spot him. "What was that?!"

He watched in horror as a hand suddenly shot out from above the older man and bore down on Katagai's face. He heard the man grunt in pain and Hara's hand shot to his waist. Feeling nothing there, he unbelievingly jerked his head to stare at his hakama ties and confirmed that he had not brought his sword. _No normal peasant would be wearing a daisho…_With a grim look in his eyes, Hara was just about to jump in and help his commander, when the door of the hut slid open and blood exploded out of Katagai's neck. Hara blinked back the guilt and sorrow and quickly sprinted out of the forest as quietly as he could.

_Katagai-san is dead. I should have done something, sword or no sword, I should have done something! _thought Hara as he abruptly stopped at the edge of the forest. Breathing hard from more then just the excursion, Hara jerkily shook his head to clear it of the guilt so that he could think clearly.

Shakily, he made his way through the marketplace, swiftly slipping through the crowds without drawing any attention to himself. _Without Himura, Choshu's ability to return will be impossible! I've got to find Katsura now!_

It took Hara over a week to find Katsura, and by then, it had been too late. After hearing what had happened, Katsura immediately sent Hara to find a man named Shishio to give the new hitokiri his first assignment and set off for the safe house in Otsu. Grabbing the black envelope that he knew contained Iizuka's name, Hara set off for Kyoto to find his new comrade.

On his way back to Kyoto, an immense anger consumed Hara and he began to tremble as the bloodlust that had receded in the past few months slowly began to make itself known to him again. He could feel the insanity slowly creeping into his subconscious and struggled with the feelings of bitterness and betrayal at Iizuka for doing that to them. He had trusted the bastard, maybe not at first, but eventually, the trust was there. For once in his life, Hara wanted to kill. For once in his life, Hara wanted to be the hitokiri that would open the black envelope hidden in his sleeves and stalk the bastard in the night. He wanted to feel the blood of the traitor on his hands and the taste of his blood in his mouth.

"Umm…excuse me, are you alright young man?" an old woman said suddenly breaking Hara out his bloodthirsty trance. He blinked and focused his dark gaze on the small woman in front of him.

Forcing a smile onto his face, Hara released a slightly shuddery breath. "Aa, I'm fine Obassan. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Giving him an unconvinced and worried look, the old woman nodded before walking away to join her family at the fish stand.

As soon as the old woman left, the fake smile was wiped from his face and his eyes hardened. What was he thinking? He should be thankful that Katsura no longer wanted him to be the hitokiri anymore. He and Himura would finally have a chance to be normal soldiers…With that in mind, Hara continued on at a faster pace to find this new hitokiri that Katsura spoke about.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hara watched in boredom as a group of men in the middle of the common room gambled off their money and laughed boisterously. Feeling the curious stares of several other men littering the room, he ignored their wary gazes and continued to stare blankly at the gambling group. The past year had been incredibly dull and, not that Hara was complaining, but not much had happened except for the remarkably slow return of the Ishin. Men that were in hiding began trickling into the new Kohagi inn that was rebuilt in a different, more crowded district of Kyoto, as well as other safe houses and HQ's all throughout the city. Hara and Himura no longer had any assassinations and mostly worked as bodyguards and squad swordsmen. Despite the fact that they no longer worked alone however, the two boys felt just as alone as ever. Their histories insured that the other men stayed away from them.

According to Katsura-san, Himura had returned from Otsu nearly a year ago and had stayed at the HQ several districts away. He would be coming back to the new Kohagi Inn as soon as his bodyguard assignment tonight was over. Hara was restless and felt slightly anxious to see his friend again. It had been over an entire year since the two had seen each other, let alone talked.

Leaning back against the wall, Hara sighed and closed his eyes. Breathing deeply, he allowed his mind to wander…

Several hours later, Hara's eyes shot open as a soldier suddenly burst into the room with his commander following breathlessly behind. "The safe house," huffed the bodyguard his hands on his knees, "…our sources just informed us that the safe house in the Kita district is going to be raided by Shinsengumi tonight!"

Getting to his feet, Hara maintained a cool composure despite the sudden heavy beating of his heart. "Isn't that where Katsura's meeting with Takamori is?"

"Hai," replied the captain a grim look on his face. "We've got to assemble a squad and send back-up immediately." Pushing his daisho into the ties of his hakama, Hara headed for the door.

"Then assemble a squad," he said, "…I'll go on ahead and try to get there before the Shinsengumi mobilize."

Seeing the captain nod and turn around, Hara exited the inn and slipped into the shadows where he proceeded to make for the safe house. It took him about ten minutes of outright sprinting through the night before Hara finally made it to the meeting place. Knocking at the door and giving the code word that would gain him access, Hara impatiently followed the guard up the stairs. Pushing all formalities aside, the young man shoved the shoji open, clearly surprising more then half of the occupants in the room.

Ignoring the somewhat affronted looks of the leaders and bodyguards that didn't know him, Hara stepped into the room and hastily gave a bow.

"Hara-kun, what's wrong?" asked Katsura from his place in the middle of the room.

In a rush, Hara answered, "I've just been informed that the Shinsengumi are on their way here right now. We've got to get out of here."

Before Hara could say anymore however, there was a sudden flare of many ki's from outside and the candles in the room were put out by the guards littering the room. The room was completely motionless as practically half the room held their breaths, hoping that Hara was wrong.

Without warning, there was a distinct crashing sound made from a door being kicked in, and time seemed to move again in the room. Movement filled the room as a soldier opened up the back door and the men quickly yet quietly ushered out their leaders. As the room was being emptied, Hara realized that there was one man that had remained completely motionless up until now. Turning his attention to the small dark figure in the corner, he was met with the sharp amber eyes belonging to none other then the Battousai.

As if in slow motion, Hara watched as Battousai fluidly got up from his spot and made his way over to Katsura and Takamori. Motioning for them to go out the way the others had, Battousai turned his head towards Hara and a message seemed to pass between the boys. Nodding, Hara and Battousai just barely got out the door behind their commanders before the Shinsengumi crashed through the door. Just as they reached the wide alleyway behind the safe house, the two older men in front of them came to an abrupt halt. They were trapped. A group of Shinsengumi was blocking their way and another group was right behind them. Gently pushing Katsura and Takamori back into a wide crevice on their right, the two hitokiri's stood back to back facing the squads.

"If you value your lives, then you will run now," said a cold quiet voice that seemed to emanate terrifying strength.

"Ha! Yeah right!" laughed a man from the middle of the group facing Kenshin. "You're dead, boy!"

As if by some divine intervention, the clouds that had been obscuring the moon suddenly decided to move aside and a ray of moonlight seemed to shine down on the two ex-hitokiri. Kenshin's blood red hair glinted off of the light and his cross shaped scar stood out eerily on his pale face.

"That – that's hitokiri Battousai," stuttered one of the men at the front as he began to sweat nervously.

"Baka! It's all of us against the two of them! There's no way we'll lose!" cried out another man and as if some unseen signal was given, the two groups charged at the two boys. Seeing that the two groups were attacking, Takamori and Katsura tensed, hands clenching the swords still sheathed at their sides just in case they were forced to join the fight.

Hara confidently drew his sword as he sensed Himura drop into his battoujutsu stance behind him. Feeling an immense sense of relief for having Himura there with him rather than a less competent swordsman, Hara slipped into his own stance. He scanned the crowd charging toward him and estimated that with the group attacking on Himura's side there were probably just about over 20 men there. Had it been any soldier other then Himura with him, Hara was almost a hundred percent sure that he wouldn't get out of this fight unscathed, let alone get the others out completely unharmed. And so once again, he thanked the gods above for sending Kenshin with Katsura to this meeting.

Seconds before the crowd reached the two teenagers, the two ex-hitokiri attacked, slicing through two to three men each.

Katsura and Takamori watched in amazement and awe as the two young boys fought in complete synchronization, playing with each other's strengths and weaknesses as if they had fought together for years. They seemed to know exactly where the other was and what exactly what the other was doing at all times despite the lack of spoken communication. The two older men watched as Kenshin cleaved through a man and duck down just in time to avoid Hara's blade, which was slicing through the air a breadth's away from his head to cut through two more attackers. Just as Hara's sword completed its arc, Kenshin leapt up into the air and Hara, without losing momentum, dropped down and swept the legs out from under the people around him. Taking advantage of the stumbling crowd below, Kenshin came crashing down with his Ryu Tsui Sen.

In less then five minutes, more then seventy five percent of the men were dead, and the rest were quickly dieing off without much of a fight. Just as the last man dropped to the ground, both boys performed identical chiburis and sheathed their swords. Turning to their superiors, whom had looks of absolute surprise on their faces, Kenshin said, "Did anybody get to you?"

Clearing his throat to regain his composure, Katsura shook his head. "No, you two kept them all busy…"

Nodding, Kenshin turned and began to quickly lead them through the maze like alleyways with Hara taking the rear.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hara and Kenshin sat across from each other in the room that they were once again going to share due to overcrowding in the inn. They both had a small tray of food that Okami had insisted they take sitting in front of them. In the light of the candles flickering in the corners of the room, Hara was finally able to get a good look at his friend and how much he had changed. Kenshin had grown and was now a few inches taller then Hara. His shoulders were broader and his frame had grown slightly larger than his. His face had matured, and while it still looked kind of boyish, the sharp cold amber eyes that had replaced the innocent amethyst seemed to counteract the childish face. His features were sharper and the cross shaped scar on his face stood out on his pale visage. His voice was also deeper then it used to be.

Hara, Himura noticed had changed very little in the past year. Except for his eyes and aura, Hara was exactly the same, with his Ishin uniform and white undershirt underneath the navy blue gi. As for his eyes, they seemed darker, more jaded, while his aura seemed to be darker as well, much like his own. The taller boy was now shorter then him, but he noticed that he had grown a few inches, just not as much as himself. His dark brown hair was longer and was still pulled up into a high ponytail.

"It's been a while hasn't it Himura?"

Kenshin nodded.

"How've you been lately?"

"Fine…you?"

"Fine…kinda bored lately…"

"Really?" said Kenshin looking down at his food.

Hara nodded and a heavy silence fell upon the room. Trying to think of something to say, Hara took a bite out of his rice ball and sighed inwardly. The two of them were both too battle hardened and making light conversation was no longer an easy task. They had both locked away their emotions in order to deal with the bloodlust, and opening up to a friend was harder than it used to be.

It wasn't until after they had finished their small meal that they finally started talking again.

"I need a new hat," said Kenshin randomly.

"Huh?" blurted Hara a dumbfounded look on his face as a ghost of smile made its way across Kenshin's face.

"A hat," he repeated. "I need a new one. Someone cut mine in half."

The first grin in a long time appeared on Hara's face as he looked at the boy sitting across from him. "What… did you want me to buy it for you?"

The small smile on Kenshin's face widened slightly. "Well, if you wanted to, then sure."

Hara chuckled somewhat before a knock was heard at their door. The two soldiers immediately sobered when Katsura stepped into the room.

"How're the others?" asked Hara all traces of happiness completely gone.

"They are all okay. I just received reports that everyone returned to a safe house safely thanks to you two."

"We didn't do anything," said Kenshin getting up from his spot and taking a seat beside Hara.

"Yes you did, Hara was there to warn us, and without the both of you there, both Takamori and I would be dead. We are both indebted to you," said Katsura.

"We were just doing our job."

Katsura nodded and kneeled down across from the two boys. "I'm sorry for separating you two. I see now that if I had kept you two together, things may not have been so… hard for you," he said. "I should never have split you two up. I've got to say that I was really amazed by the demonstration the two of you gave us earlier."

The two teenagers glanced at each other before turning their attention back to their superior.

"…Also, Takamori-san has requested that the two of you escort him and his squad back to Satsuma after everything is settled," said Katsura looking at the two most feared assassins expectantly.

Nodding, Hara questioned. "Has the alliance between Choshu and Satsuma been made?"

Katsura sighed. "If the meeting hadn't been interrupted, then it may have been established, but as of now, the details haven't been worked through yet. Takamori-san has requested that we wait until Toshimichi Okubo is here before we make any major decisions. If we are lucky, it will be done by the end of the month."

"Aa…" murmured Hara a serious look on his face as he thought of everything that he had heard.

"Takamori-san has made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want us to feel obligated to provide him with the strongest of the Ishin as escorts. He wants this alliance to work out as much as we do and has asked for you two as escorts only if we can spare you two," he explained.

"So…did you want us to go, Katsura-san?" asked Hara.

"Well, considering the fact that both Takamori-san and Toshimichi-san would both be together at the time, I'd have to say that we have no choice. If they were to die, our alliance would fall apart, and if the Shinsengumi were to find out exactly when the Satsuma group were leaving, well…let's just say that you two are the only patriots we have that are strong enough to stand up to the Mibu Wolves…."

"I see…" murmured Kenshin.

"Anyway," said Katsura getting to his feet. "You two better get some sleep."

"Good night Katsura-san," said both boys.

A slight smile appeared on Katsura's face at the sight of the two boys. He hadn't missed the slight chuckle and teasing that had occurred in the room before he entered. Apparently it had been a big mistake in separating them.

"Good night boys," he replied shutting the shoji behind him.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the long wait, and I hope that you don't mind the large time gap that I ended up putting in. I considered going into the Tomoe part in more depth, but as I thought about it, I decided that there are already too many stories that focus on that. I actually had all of this chapter written last week, but I wanted to get a chance to revise it a bit, so I waited to post it. I hope you enjoyed it and please review. I'm starting the next chapter right now and I would really appreciate any feedback from you. 


	8. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey I finally finished revising the first two chapters. It starts out the same, but the middle is completely different. If anybody has any complaints with the new first two chapters please let me know and I'll do what I can. Please review and let me know if it's okay. I'll remove this either when I post the next chapter, or when I find the time to in the next week or so.


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